WHEN Wanderers fans arrived at the Silverlake Stadium on Saturday there were concerns the FA Cup clash would be postponed because of the state of the pitch. With the playing surface looking boggy and more rain forecast, Whites supporters – together with the Eastleigh fans and groundsmen – united to help make sure the third round tie went ahead. Here Colin Lever tells his story

We are two of the guys, a father and son, who turned up early doors at Eastleigh to help get the pitch fit for the match on Saturday.

Yes it was a glue of a pitch – which The Bolton News’ Fan’s View writer Alan Houghton likened to the pitches they played on in the 1970s. But it did help to contribute to a great FA cup atmosphere, along with a crowd of more than 5,000, the largest they have ever had at the ground. Who said the magic of FA Cup had died?

What struck me while we were gainfully occupied, shifting covers and forking the turf was the family feel of this club.

We were welcomed by the owner, treated to a fry- up along with a continuous source of hot beverages.

They had, pardon the pun, all pitched in to get the place ready for the visit of BWFC and their supporters.

The contrast between their ambition and Bolton’s fight for survival was tangible. I was minded to think about the words of Kevin Davies, who had suggested that Bolton Wanderers as a football club had lost its soul. A friend of mine who worked at Bolton until recently had said much the same.

The media guy who does the Twitter feed met us and took a snap of us together with Tony (Zico) Kelly. What an unexpected treat.

In this moment we had sight that perhaps not all was lost at Bolton.

During the match we sang heartily with the 100-plus supporters, their gallows numbers and lyrics a reminder that, for the fans at least, Bolton still has a ticking heart.

I spoke to a Burnley fan recently who pointed out that her club was a family club. The warmth extended to us by Eastleigh supporters was an indication of what a family club was all about.

It is an integral part of the local community and does one thing above all others – puts the fans at the forefront of each and every decision. Is this what Big Kev was alluding to?

Whatever the end result, there is no doubt BWFC will return, whether it is administration, liquidation or annihilation and it will be the fans that will make it happen. The people of Bolton will not let 142 years of legacy die.

Those in charge at present need to be cut from similar cloth.

If they do not have the best interest of the fans at heart then they should resign and let those who do get on with the job of rebuilding.

We don’t want buyers who will asset strip or put us further in debt by using the club as collateral to borrow.

We want a return to family values. One where players like Zico, Kevin Davies and other ex-players feel a sense of belonging.

One where, from the chairman to the tea-maker walk around with a smile on their face because they feel part of something.

I introduced my sons to football at Bolton on a wet night when we played Rochdale in the Sherpa Van Trophy. We won 6-4, and they were hooked.

It is not a retrograde step to seek out such halcyon days. It is about going back to our roots.

This is the journey the club should be making.