Wanderers battled it out with Aston Villa, complete with a sending off, in a fiercely-fought contest.

The game is still going on -- but without a single ball being kicked!

The "football match" was organised by bosses at HB Electronics on Lever Street, Bolton, to spur on their sales team.

Both sides got kitted out in their team's shirts and battled it out for "goals" according to how successful their sales had been. The latest score is 15-9 to Bolton, with the "match" going on until the weekend.

However, things got a little heated between the teams, forcing the referee to show a red card to Villa supporter Lawrence Hill.

Marketing director Greg Nicol said: "It was a sales promotion which we decided to add a bit of bite to. We appealed to their competitive natures and put them in two teams. It has spurred them on to beat the other side and, hopefully, it will pay dividends for us as well as bringing fun into the office." Some of the Villa team members were none to keen to represent the "enemy".

One of the squad had to be transferred across to the Wanderers side because he couldn't stomach the idea of putting on his claret and blue shirt.

Even the Aston Villa team captain, Ann Berry, was worried about the effect of donning the Villa kit would have back home.

She joked: "If my husband and children saw me in this shirt they would all divorce me. My son is going down to watch the match on Sunday. He would see me as a bit of a traitor if he caught me in the shirt." The game has been a close run affair with plenty of goals -- one goal comes for each £1,000 raised in sales for the players, who sell electronic components.

Ann added: "This has been a game of two halves and we are saving our best scoring potential for right at the end."

However all the team members -- expect Lawrence -- were hoping for a Wanderers' win on Sunday in the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley.

Villa season ticket holder Lawrence, whose girlfriend is also going down to Wembley but will leave him to go in the Wanderers' enclosure, faces the daunting prospect of travelling down with Bolton fans -- and travelling home with them after the result.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.