BOLTON Wanderers stand head and shoulders above the rest as the pride of the Nationwide League.

Champions by a distance, they are heading back to the fame and fortune of the Premiership showered with high praise and glowing tributes.

But this time it's the fans, not the players, who are winning the plaudits.

Their contribution to Friday's Farewell to Burnden was described today as "absolutely magnificent" in a ringing endorsement passed on from Football League headquarters by proud chairman Gordon Hargreaves.

League president Gordon McKeag and secretary David Dent spoke in glowing terms of the fans' behaviour before, during and after the game which marked the end of 102 years of football at Burnden Park.

Officials of Nationwide, the League's sponsors, left the Wanderers boardroom wishing their Champions well but regretting the loss of the jewel in their Division One crown to the Premier League. The carefully-planned itinerary marking the end of the Burnden era surpassed all expectations, the team providing a fitting finale with a thrilling comeback to beat Charlton 4-1 while the supporters played their part to the last, producing a sea of colour, a wall of sound and a dignified response to the club's request not to invade the pitch.

Compared to Saturday's unseemly scenes at Brighton where thousands raced onto the pitch, tore up turf and ripped out souvenirs of the final fixture at the Goldstone Ground, Wanderers paid their respects in true sporting manner, befitting their status as original members of the Football League and its newest Champions.

"We are proud of them, the League is proud of them and the town should be proud of them," Mr Hargreaves said.

"Most of all they should be proud of themselves. Numerous people put a lot of effort into making the night a success but the supporters played a major part. They added to the colour of the occasion and turned the entire event into a fitting finale.

"Gordon McKeag and David Dent were extremely impressed by the supporters' behaviour, particularly by the fact that they stayed off the pitch and allowed the celebrations to proceed as planned in a dignified manner.

"They felt the fans were a credit to the club and a credit to themselves. The town can be rightly proud of them.

"Colin Todd has praised the supporters throughout the season. They have been magnificent and made a significant contribution in getting us where we are today. But on Friday they surpassed themselves.

"It was greatly appreciated. I want to pass on my personal, heartfelt thanks and the gratitude of everyone here at the club."

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