Bolton Wanderers chairman Sharon Brittan expressed her excitement for the new season in the Championship, stating that she is looking forward to it as much as any other in nearly seven years with the club. The team got off to a fine start with a victory against Lancashire rivals Preston North End, but have been tipped by pundits to struggle having not played in the second tier since being relegated in April 2019. The Football Ventures consortium bought the club out of administration five months later and have since overseen a relegation, two promotions, a Papa Johns Trophy win, and two unsuccessful play-off campaigns. Not bad, considering Ms. Brittan did not originally come to Lancashire with a particularly long-term plan! "It's funny," she said. "Somebody recently said, 'Sharon, you initially said you were only here for three years.' "Well, that's what this town does." ## What happened? The club has made significant progress commercially, with CEO David Ray predicting earlier this year that the stinging losses of nearly £14m sustained in League One should be "materially lower" this time around. Ms. Brittan has great faith in the management structure now in place at Wanderers and believes it can help bridge some of the financial gaps compared to rival clubs at this level.

Why it matters for Bolton Wanderers The club has sold out all available tickets for the Preston game on Saturday, the first time they have managed to do that for a league fixture since Boxing Day 2011. This is a testament to the growing optimism among fans, who are eager to see the team succeed in the Championship.

What comes next? With the town buzzing after a winning start to the campaign, Ms. Brittan is optimistic about what the future holds. "I said from the beginning that this was going to be a journey where everybody would know what we were doing and how we were doing it," she said. "We weren't always going to get it right, and we haven't always got everything right. What the fans do know is that they have a team of people looking after their beloved football club, and that every decision we make is in the best interests of Bolton Wanderers. League standing (final 2025 table -- new season not yet under way): 5th in League One, 75 pts, 19W-18D-9L from 46 games, recent form LDDWL. Goals this season: 70 scored, 52 conceded (+18 goal difference). Title race: 28 points behind leaders Lincoln.