WANDERERS’ challenge in League One is starting to take shape with Derby County now officially relegated from the Championship.

Barnsley will almost certainly join the Rams, barring a mathematical miracle, but Peterborough United gave themselves an outside shot of dragging Reading into the bottom three with a win at Oakwell on Monday.

With three games to go, Posh have to overturn a seven-point deficit, and the matter would be put to bed completely if the Royals win at Hull City this weekend.

The addition of Derby, who despite a season of financial turmoil now look on the verge of finding new ownership in the form of American investor Chris Kirchner, will guarantee a significant budget in next season’s division.

Ian Evatt was given his professional debut by the Rams in 2001, coming on as a substitute in their last game of the season against Ipswich Town.

Derby were docked 12 points for entering into administration last September and then a further nine after admitting breaches of the EFL accounting rules.

Evatt feels sympathy with his former club’s plight and believes Wanderers fans will appreciate what hardships they have been through, having been down the same road a couple of years ago.

“I was at Derby from 11-years-old until 21 or 22,” he said. “I have lots of fond memories there and it is a fantastic football club, really well supported.

“Sitting here being Bolton’s manager, I understand - and I think we all understand as a football club - what their fans and that football club has gone through this season.

“I don’t think it’s got to the extremes it did here but it hasn’t been good and it hasn’t been pretty and the players and Wayne (Rooney) deserve immense credit because without that deduction, they would have stayed up comfortably.”

Wigan Athletic have led from the front for most of this season and should confirm their return to the Championship by the weekend.

Sheff Weds, Sunderland, Ipswich and Co

Sheffield Wednesday and Sunderland are still scrapping for a play-off spot but depending on what happens with Reading and Barnsley could be as many as nine ex-Premier League teams competing in League One next season.

Evatt has warned Derby that the changing economy at this level of football means there are no certainties that they will make an immediate return to the second tier.

“They are in League One now and this is a tough, tough league,” he said. “They are just another big fish in the pond, which seems to be getting bigger and bigger, really.

“I think the division is virtually split in half. You have some big ex-Premier League teams and then some little ones that are probably punching above their weight.

“You have to find a way to beat the big ones and the little ones and that’s something we’re working extremely hard to try and do.”

Wanderers’ last meeting with Derby was a resounding 4-0 defeat at the tail end of the 2018/19 season, which ended in relegation from the Championship.

Mason Mount scored a hat-trick for the Rams at Pride Park, with Frank Lampard’s side then aiming for the play-offs.

Earlier the same season there had been a memorable moment in the reverse fixture, with Craig Noone scoring the only goal of the game then racing into the stands to celebrate with team-mate Stephen Darby, who had just been diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease.

The Bolton News:

Wanderers have a long history with the Rams and met them in the first-ever weekend of games in the Football League, with Kenny Davenport scoring the first-ever goal in the competition - a fact only unearthed by researchers some 125 years later.

League Two hopefuls

To round up the potential candidates, the situation in League Two is finely balance, though Forest Green need only one point from their remaining four games to guarantee automatic promotion.

Exeter City are well placed to join them, currently sitting in second spot two points ahead of Port Vale with a game in hand.

Vale are two points ahead of Northampton Town and Bristol Rovers in the final automatic spot.

Anywhere up to 12th placed Crawley Town could still reach the top seven – with Swindon Town, Newport County, Salford City, Mansfield Town, Tranmere Rovers and Sutton United all hoping to stay in the mix.