Wanderers played their part in a “remarkable” season in terms of attendance figures across the EFL.

More than 21.7million people attended games in the Championship, League One, League Two, the Carabao Cup and the Papa Johns trophy since the start of the campaign, the League has reported.

Moreover, the second and third tiers of English football were among the top 10 “best attended” leagues in Europe over the past season, along with the Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga and Serie A among others.

Looking specifically at League One, nearly six million supporters attended matches up and down the country.

Meanwhile, the play-offs attracted more than 443,000 people across all three divisions, which is the highest figure since the format was introduced in 1987.

Nearly 23,500 fans were in attendance at the UniBol as Wanderers faced Barnsley in the semi-final first leg last month. Dion Charles cancelled out Nicky Cadden’s opener that day in front of the TV cameras.

Perhaps the highlight of the season for Bolton supporters was the memorable 4-0 victory against Plymouth in the Papa Johns Trophy final. Nearly 80,000 supporters were packed into Wembley, making it the highest attended fixture in Europe that weekend.

The EFL also reported a 15 per cent rise in season ticket sales over the past couple of years after stadia opened back up following the pandemic.

“To welcome nearly 22 million supporters to an EFL competition in 2022/23 is quite remarkable,” said chief executive Trevor Birch.

“These numbers don’t happen by accident. They are testament to the efforts of the 72 clubs to create such quality football and matchday experiences that encourages fans to attend matches in person, even when there are so many other ways to consume football, and particularly when so many people are facing a squeeze on their finances. 

“The continued rise in season ticket sales, and particularly junior season ticket sales, is really encouraging. 

“Quite simply, these fans are the future of our game which is why it is so heartening to see so many young supporters attending fixtures regularly and developing a love of the game that they will hopefully take with them throughout their lives.”

Here is a full breakdown of the EFL’s attendance figures over the past season

  • Championship – 10,391,945
  • League One – 5,857,547
  • League Two – 3,191,719
  • Play-offs – 443,754
  • Carabao Cup – 1,551,748
  • EFL Trophy – 312,727
  • Total – 21,749,440