AS another traumatic and dramatic year in the lives of Bolton Wanderers fans grinds to an end, we headed down to the Unibol for the last time in 2018 with some hope in our hearts.

The win against Rotherham had rekindled our flagging spirits.

The prospect of taking something off Stoke City didn’t seem as remote as it might have been a few weeks ago.

Although history counts for nought, we did have a decent home record against them.

Mind you, when their team was read out, it sounded like everyone of them was a Premier League player and a few doubts crept in as to how we were going to match them.

Phil Parkinson made two enforced changes, bringing in Jonathan Grounds and Josh Vela for the injured Andrew Taylor and Gary O’Neill.

After soaking up a bit of early pressure, we got into this match and took control.

We played the ball much more on the ground, pressed them all over the pitch and every player put a shift in, led by a rejuvenated Josh Vela.

The crowd responded as we didn’t give the opposition any time on the ball and we fully deserved our point, and probably more, as chances began to be created.

Even some of Phil Parkinson’s fiercest critics conceded we were doing all right.

It was a good performance which gave some encouragement for the battles ahead.

Of course, there are things that could have been better and things to work on but I think that barring injuries, we are close to a settled team who need time together to build up understandings and relationships on the field.

The intensity and level of effort was outstanding from everyone and that is something which has rarely been seen in recent times at Bolton.

It got the supporters behind the team again.

We have to carry that forward into all matches, starting at Hull tomorrow, a team now on a good run after a worse period than us earlier in the season. Their win at the Unibol was the start of the turnaround for them. Let’s hope we can return the compliment.

Who knows what 2019 will bring? We have the January transfer window to survive.

We hope for a final solution to our financial difficulties. But above all, let’s stick together in true Bolton spirit and avoid BWexit from the Championship.