WE HAVE been expecting it since, oh about October, but with our relegation to League One confirmed there has been a period of mourning among Wanderers fans. Rightly so too – it was the most appalling season in living memory, and one that I cannot wait to forget.

That said, the time for wallowing in misery should be well and truly over. Like the hangover that you power through when on an all-dayer, the nasty part has gone and you can look forward to something altogether more positive when you get through to the other side.

So I have chosen to embrace the power of positivity, and instead head into our League One campaign with the belief that it may end up being a good thing for the club and for the supporters.

I’m finding myself excited at the unknown. The prospect of us fielding a team of academy graduates and new blood should reinvigorate what has become a tired squad with a defeatist spirit running through its centre.

So what else is there? The chance to renew rivalries long forgotten is a huge draw for me. I can remember some fantastic trips to Bury, Port Vale, Barnsley, Sheffield United and Coventry City during my formative years as a Bolton Wanderers fan and to revisit those grounds will be a real trip down memory lane.

On the field, the likes of Rob Holding and Zach Clough will continue to develop and play their way to a higher league. Hopefully they will inspire the next generation to follow suit and show just what can be achieved with a bit of graft and no little talent. I’m looking forward to seeing more of Tom Walker too.

Not to mention the space to spread out at home games. Gone are the days when it’s a bind to queue for a half-time snack. Gone are the days of having to set off before 2pm to make sure that you’re there on time. Instead we live in a time when you can dawdle. You can take your sweet time and there’s no chance that you’ll miss the game. The single biggest benefit in the past month has been that you can now get a decent Whatsapp signal going when in the ground. Fantastic.

I hate to finish by giving any praise to Wigan, but the joy and the delight on the faces of their supporters throughout the whole season had me very jealous. To go through a season with the prospect of winning more than we lose is enticing and I am very confident that we can go and get promoted at the first time of asking.

The new manager is crucial towards this, and I just hope that Anderson and Holdsworth make a sensible choice and we can look back at this in a year and think 'yeah, League One was actually alright'.