THOROUGHLY downcast with all hopes abandoned and nothing to be proud of, we made our way with the Lancaster Whites, ironically to Pride Park.

The highlight of the day was lunch at the 17th-century coaching house, the Crewe and Harpur at Swarkestone, where there is a monument in the beer garden commemorating the farthest point south Bonnie Prince Charlie reached in the Jacobite rebellion of 1745.

It could turn out to be the farthest south the Wanderers reach for a while, if liquidation becomes a reality and we end up in the Evo-Stik League.

There was none of the usual discussions about the football and the team as both the fans and the players have been totally demoralised by the disgraceful antics off the field being carried out in the name of Bolton Wanderers.

Each day we dread the daily shame bulletin, revealing who else has not been paid with the chief scout, Tyrers Coaches and the host families joining the ever-increasing list this week. The Whites Hotel is facing its own winding-up order this coming week.

It’s the lowest I have ever felt watching the Wanderers for more than 50 years.

We’ve had bad periods before, but we had men of character like Nat Lofthouse to rally the fans and see us through.

For the record, Phil Parkinson shuffled the pack after seeing who was in the right mood to play for us.

We made a game of it for the first 30 minutes until their first goal went in.

I can’t really say our heads went down because they were pretty low to start with.

After that we managed to keep them down to four, mainly due to Remi Matthews.

I really cannot see us scoring another goal, never mind picking up another point this season with things as they are. Thankfully, there are only four more matches to endure.

I, along with many other fans, cannot and will not give up on Bolton Wanderers.

They are in our blood, they are our team.

Who knows where the present financial crisis will end?

I’m struggling to see any good outcomes at the moment but thoughts of liquidation and rebuilding the club from scratch are gaining support among the fans.

It would be tragic in the short term but at least it would give us chance to start anew and recover some pride and respect in our club.