THE Football League will not be stepping in to end the feud between Wanderers and Tranmere Rovers.

"We can't do that," a spokesman insisted. "If managers can't get along, they can't get along. That's up to them.

"We're not about to step in and force the issue. But it would be better if the clubs buried the hatchet and got on with each other."

Reports had suggested that League chiefs have told Wanderers to put an end to the intense rivalry which took a bizarre twist on Monday when the Bolton players left Prenton Park without showering after their 1-0 win.

They had only arrived 35 minutes before the kick off, already changed into their warm-up kit, and raced back to the Reebok Stadium after the game to get showered and changed.

Sam Allardyce said he adopted the unusual approach to motivate his players for a difficult fixture and played down the so-called snub, explaining: "We went there to do a job. We didn't want to hang around."

But Rovers' chief executive Lorraine Rogers described the Wanderers' boss as "a little peculiar with his approach to certain aspects of football!"

She insisted there was no problem between the clubs at boardroom level but added: "I feel sorry for the players who were made to go home in such a sweaty state!"

Nevertheless, there has been 'a history' between the clubs in recent years - dating back to Wembley 1991 when Wanderers lost to Rovers in the old Third Division play-off final - and rivalry between supporters has become intense. The fire was fuelled in January when the teams met in the Worthington Cup sem-final.

Allardyce made an official complaint to the League over Dave Challinor's use of towels and dry balls to help him get extra distance with his world record-breaking throw-ins. The Wanderers' boss was also angered by the antics of Rovers' boss, John Aldridge, who made unsporting gestures at the Bolton bench during the second leg of the tie, which Tranmere won 4-0 on aggregate.