Bolton Wanderer’s hopes of getting something from their tumultuous season were all but ended as they were torn apart by in-form Lincoln City on Easter Monday.
The 4-2 loss leaves the Trotters in ninth, six points behind Reading and a seriously inferior goal difference, with two games to go. Barring a miracle, Bolton will be in League One again next season.
Defender Chris Forino, who joined the club from Wycombe Wanderers in the summer, believes the fans deserve an apology for this season’s performance.
“I think they deserve an apology. They travel in their numbers up and down the country. They have expectations.
“When I joined the club I knew what those expectations were. It can weigh heavy on the shoulders but it doesn’t weight heavy on mine.” Forino told BBC Radio Manchester.
“I just feel sorry for them, really. They back us to the hilt every single week. They pay their hard-earned money, they’re booking days off work. I know what it’s like to be a fan. I’ve had a season ticket at Arsenal.
“You want to see effort and desire from the boys. Sometimes if the quality is lacking you can live with that as a fan. I feel like across the season they’ve been let down a little bit.”
Wanderer’s fans came into this season hoping the club would push on from last season’s Play-Off Final loss to Oxford United.
Instead, they have watched their side nurse a serious Wembley hangover, with then manager Ian Evatt unable to recapture last campaign’s form. After a change was made, Steven Schumacher put together a run of results that kept Bolton in the play-off race.
After potentially talking about hunting down the likes of Wrexham and Wycombe, who are currently fighting it out for the final automatic promotion place, the Trotters have lost seven out of their last nine games, seeing them fall out of the top six race completely.
Last season, Bolton were often labelled as ‘soft’. Schumacher stated when he came in, he did not want to label the team under the same name but acknowledged after Monday’s game that the label may not be wrong.
Speaking post-match, the former Plymouth Argyle boss admitted he was ready to get working on next season to create a team ready to truly compete at the top end of the table and push for a return to the Championship.
