THEY had prayed for him, now it was time to play for him!

For a week in March 2012, Bolton Wanderers had become the focal point of the footballing world as Fabrice Muamba shocking collapse at White Hart Lane gave way to an incredible tale of heroism and recovery.

The club had cancelled a midweek game against Aston Villa in deference to the midfielder’s recovery at the London Chest Hospital but by the following Saturday, Muamba had been well enough to record a good luck message to his team-mates as they resumed their relegation fight against Blackburn Rovers.

A huge crowd of 26,901 packed into the Reebok, many of whom had laid flowers, shirts and messages of support at the front of the stadium in what had become an inspiring sight as news of the player’s improving health continued to filter through from Bethnal Green.

But what affect had the ordeal had on Wanderers? The world’s gaze had been on the training ground at Euxton in the days leading up to the game and Owen Coyle had given each of his players the final say on whether they would declare themselves ready.

A local derby would often feel like the be-all and end-all for the fans themselves but unlike most encounters with Rovers there was a friendly edge about the atmosphere as the game built-up towards kick-off with a video montage of footballing well-wishes, including Leo Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and the Real Madrid squad.

Lest we forget, not all the sentiment had been positive. One man was jailed for 56 days at Swansea Magistrates Court for an insensitive tweet, while Manchester United fanzine Red Issue chose to run the headline ‘Grief Junkies Run Riot’ above a picture mocking sentimental fans.

Thankfully on the day, Rovers’ supporters joined their Lancashire rivals in celebrating the fact a young father, soon to be married to his fiancée Shauna, had survived after effectively ‘dying’ on a football pitch for 78 minutes.

Fans in the East Stand were given special cards to hold aloft during a two-minute applause, creating a memorable collage displaying the words “Muamba 6”.

From the moment Muamba had been rushed to hospital from White Hart Lane to the second Andre Marriner put his whistle to his lips to start the game, Wanderers had performed impeccably as a club. But could the players follow suit?

Fittingly, it was David Wheater, who provided the answer with two superb headed goals inside seven first-half minutes.

Wheater and Mark Davies had both worked with Muamba in the England youth set-up and met him in reception at Euxton on his first day after a £5.75million move from Birmingham City to show him around the training ground.

And though his celebrations had to be toned down, the significance of the goals could be clearly read on the centre-back’s face.

There was a stroke of luck about the first. Gretar Steinsson could have been punished for a trip on Junior Hoilett inside the box but seconds later raided down the right to combine with Martin Petrov, whose cross skimmed Steven Nzonzi’s head before reaching Wheater for the final finish.

Soon after, Wheater was celebrating again after escaping Scott Dann’s clutches to head home Ryo Miyaichi’s corner.

Wanderers missed good chances to make it three – particularly through David Ngog and Japanese winger Miyaichi – and that allowed Blackburn a chance back into the game when Nzonzi nodded in a long throw from Morten Gamst Pedersen.

Petrov and Darren Pratley missed further chances to cut the tension but with the chants of “Fabrice Muamba” growing louder as full time approached, Bolton found the strength they needed to see out the win.

“Fabrice won’t believe I scored twice,” joked Wheater after the game. “I don’t think anyone will.

“That was the one person we were all playing for today. Win, lose or draw, it doesn’t matter when one of your best friends is in that condition.

“But hopefully that will have cheered him up a bit.”

Muamba was reported to have watched the game on Match of the Day – although it is more accurate to say he fell asleep before Bolton’s game was shown.

It had been one of the most life-affirming afternoons the stadium, or the club, had ever witnessed but one wonders if once the adrenaline wore off, the real psychological toll was exposed.

Sam Ricketts revealed after the final whistle that many of the Bolton players had struggled to sleep, seeing flashbacks of what had happened on the pitch at Spurs.

Defeat in the rescheduled FA Cup game deprived Bolton of a chance to face Chelsea in the Wembley semi-final and though they beat Wolves in an action packed five-goal thriller a week later, they would win only one of the remaining eight games before falling to relegation from the Premier League.