Wanderers fans from Australia travelling for play-off final

Malcolm Fielding, aged 84, and John Fielding, aged 59, now live near Brisbane, but are originally from Bolton and both  big supporters of the Whites. 

They are making the the 16,500km trip to see the side at Wembley for the first time since a "very poor game" in the Freight Rover trophy final in 1986, where Wanderers lost 3-0 to Bristol City. 

The team will face off against Oxford on Saturday, May 18, after a tense battle against Barnsley last week. 

Malcolm and John at Brisbane Airport (Image: Family)

John attended his first game at eight-years-old in 1973, a friendly between Bolton and Burnley, and has been "hooked since". 

He said: "When leaving the UK for New Zealand in January 1988, times were tough for Bolton fans, there weren’t many of us left!

"However the years that followed were incredible and unfortunately I missed the good old years of the late 90s and early 00s, European trips, Premier league etc, but for some reason the passion for the Wanderers never fades. 

"Getting up in the middle of the night every weekend is a must, most friends think we're mad, but a few understand, it's in the blood!

John (Image: Family)

"The only time Dad and I have seen the Wanderers at Wembley was a very poor game in the Freight Rover trophy final of 1986, Wanderers were beaten 3-0."

He added: "We spoke about it last year whilst watching the Papa Johns final against Plymouth at 3am, we vowed that next time we reach Wembley we have got to go. 

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"Unfortunately due to work commitments we only have four days in UK, but it's probably the last chance we get to sit together at Wembley watching the Wanderers, and it means we wont have to get up at 1am for a change!" 

Malcolm grew up in Deane in the 1940s and moved to Westhoughton in 1961, when he married Anne Halliday from Wigan. Both spent much of their working lives at British Aerospace in Horwich. 

In their Wanderers shirts (Image: Family)

In 1991, Malcolm and Anne emigrated to Nelson in New Zealand to be close to John and his family who had moved there in 1988. 

They all moved to Australia in 2022 and now live on the Gold Coast, just south of Brisbane. 

Annette Hall, John's sister and Malcolm's daughter, now lives in Bath. 

She said: "It is quite a journey, they will be travelling for 26.5 hours and 16,500km, it is quite a trip especially for an 84-year-old as well. 

"My brother's number plate when he lived in New Zealand was 1DRES! This is his dream, he lives for Bolton Wanderers." 

The pair will be staying at the Premier Inn by the Toughsheet and will travel down to Wembley with their fellow fans.