They're sold their initial allocation of 1583 tickets, requested another 500. 

Their cup final tbf.

Looking forward to this.

Does anyone know which stand(s) we're opening?  If its just WSL I'm out.  I might go if ESL is open.

8 minutes ago, Johnnyrotten said:

Does anyone know which stand(s) we're opening?  If its just WSL I'm out.  I might go if ESL is open.

Just WSL; NSL if there's overflow

Last time I went to a Preston friendly it got abandoned and the M61 was closed because of flooding and my Dad's car sank with bent piston rods in the middle of Chorley.

2 minutes ago, gonzo said:

Last time I went to a Preston friendly it got abandoned and the M61 was closed because of flooding and my Dad's car sank with bent piston rods in the middle of Chorley.

I was sat in WSL for that with a PNE fan I worked with.  Frandsen scored.  David Moyes was CB for them.

36 minutes ago, Johnnyrotten said:

Does anyone know which stand(s) we're opening?  If its just WSL I'm out.  I might go if ESL is open.

What's up- do you need sunshine to warm your blood? 😁

In, for the 1877 suite. Just the WSL open originally, but moving into the corner of NSL. 

Edited July 24, 2025Jul 24 by Jol_BWFC

11 minutes ago, Jol_BWFC said:

In, for the 1877 suite. Just the ESL open originally, but moving into the corner of NSL. 

WSL not ESL?

1 hour ago, waffer cup 07 said:

They're sold their initial allocation of 1583 tickets, requested another 500. 

virgins

baffles me people are interested in pre season 

i get the jolly to spain

17 minutes ago, Duck Egg said:

WSL not ESL?

Sorry, brain fog. Corrected.

Edited July 24, 2025Jul 24 by Jol_BWFC

Proper test this. They have some quality.

Doesn’t sound like we’re getting any new faces in before the game then so no proper pre season match practise now for any we might bring in next week although the way things seem to be going that’s getting less likely too. Worryingly the news they’re looking for a left back seems to indicate that Taylor may be out for longer than first stated. With Inwood and Johnston surely able to cover there I wonder if that means they don’t have confidence in young Max filling that position? Schu keeps making comments about Max having to improve on his defending which doesn’t sound exactly positive for the lad who I think has done really well but then what do I know?

Edited July 25, 2025Jul 25 by Whitesince63

1 minute ago, Whitesince63 said:

Doesn’t sound like we’re getting any new faces in before the game then so no proper pre season match practise now for any we might bring in next week although the way things seem to be going that’s getting less likely too. Worryingly the news they’re looking for a left back seems to indicate that Walker may be out for longer than first stated. With Inwood and Johnston surely able to cover there I wonder if that means they don’t have confidence in young Max filling that position? Schu keeps making comments about Max having to improve on his defending which doesn’t sound exactly positive for the lad who I think has done really well but then what do I know?

We need strikers not left backs. They must know what players are available out there for the money we have to spend. Can see us struggling for a month or two without strikers

11 hours ago, gonzo said:

Last time I went to a Preston friendly it got abandoned and the M61 was closed because of flooding and my Dad's car sank with bent piston rods in the middle of Chorley.

lightning struck the ground? i won the bonus ball the night before... spent most of it on a taxi home

27 minutes ago, Whitesince63 said:

seems to indicate that Walker may be out for longer than first stated

Andy Walker? Code name Celtic’s       5”8/6”2 Johnny Kenny? 

Or left back Taylor? 🤗

23 minutes ago, Whitesince63 said:

Doesn’t sound like we’re getting any new faces in before the game then so no proper pre season match practise now for any we might bring in next week although the way things seem to be going that’s getting less likely too. Worryingly the news they’re looking for a left back seems to indicate that Walker may be out for longer than first stated. With Inwood and Johnston surely able to cover there I wonder if that means they don’t have confidence in young Max filling that position? Schu keeps making comments about Max having to improve on his defending which doesn’t sound exactly positive for the lad who I think has done really well but then what do I know?

Presume you mean Taylor amigo. Conway showed that he is good going forward and his goal v Shrews was a cracker, so improving his defending would seem an obvious development path, and Schuey’s comments don’t necessarily mean he can’t hack it as short term cover for Taylor. I’m not sure bringing in someone else is anywhere near as much a priority as strengthening the pointy end of the team, but we’ll see.

32 minutes ago, Whitesince63 said:

Doesn’t sound like we’re getting any new faces in before the game then so no proper pre season match practise now for any we might bring in next week although the way things seem to be going that’s getting less likely too. Worryingly the news they’re looking for a left back seems to indicate that Walker may be out for longer than first stated. With Inwood and Johnston surely able to cover there I wonder if that means they don’t have confidence in young Max filling that position? Schu keeps making comments about Max having to improve on his defending which doesn’t sound exactly positive for the lad who I think has done really well but then what do I know?

 

28 minutes ago, RUREADY2ROLL said:

We need strikers not left backs. They must know what players are available out there for the money we have to spend. Can see us struggling for a month or two without strikers

For a more serious response…

I think it’s pretty clear to see SS knows what the priority is. He’s come out and said it! 

I’m not quite sure why you would think, he thinks, a left back is more important than a striker.

Looking for another LB doesn’t indicate either of the two things you are claiming.

He’s “considering” (“we may have to look at that area”) another left back because we only have one fit specialist at the moment. Nothing to do with him not trusting Conway.

And secondly, just because he’s looking at a LB doesnt alter his priority of getting a forward in! He quite rightly wants to make sure he gets the right one in.

7 minutes ago, desperado said:

Andy Walker? 

Des Little got a lot to answer for. Put him out for 32 years.

12 hours ago, gonzo said:

Last time I went to a Preston friendly it got abandoned and the M61 was closed because of flooding and my Dad's car sank with bent piston rods in the middle of Chorley.

Train lines were all flooded too, so they put a replacement bus on. Driver didn't have a clue where he was going. My old man kicked off and got him to drop everybody off at their home addresses instead of the train stations. 😂

My memory is shite, but I'm sure a floodlight got struck by lightning and all the electrics went out.

Edited July 25, 2025Jul 25 by Cheese

1 hour ago, desperado said:

Andy Walker? Code name Celtic’s       5”8/6”2 Johnny Kenny? 

Or left back Taylor? 🤗

Ha, my mistake, I changed it. Old age innit 🤣

1 hour ago, Whitesince63 said:

Doesn’t sound like we’re getting any new faces in before the game then so no proper pre season match practise now for any we might bring in next week although the way things seem to be going that’s getting less likely too. Worryingly the news they’re looking for a left back seems to indicate that Taylor may be out for longer than first stated. With Inwood and Johnston surely able to cover there I wonder if that means they don’t have confidence in young Max filling that position? Schu keeps making comments about Max having to improve on his defending which doesn’t sound exactly positive for the lad who I think has done really well but then what do I know?

You keep saying that Johnston can fill in at LB, just as you keep saying Forrester can fill in at RB. That’s absolutely bollocks and something you’ve made up.

I think he sees Taylor as a LCB primarily though he is one that can play LB.

I also think that he’s been relatively impressed with Conway, but this still leaves us requiring a more specialised LB.

Inwood has shown maturity and potential but he’s still inexperienced at the level that we aspire to.

Horse’s mouth….

“Me, Mark (Hughes) and Richie (Kyle) will put our heads together after Saturday and sew what we think is going to be the team at Stockport.

“But it doesn’t mean to say that whoever starts against Preston is automatically going to be in the team the following Sunday, in fact I’d say that probably won’t be the case.

“We’re still in a position where we need to manage people’s minutes and step them up in certain cases. We got some good work into them (at Shrewsbury) and there are some who look ready to go. Others maybe need a little bit more.

“There won’t be much difference in what we’re trying to do. We have been consistent with that, played pretty much the same every game.

“We’ve also played against a back five pretty much every game, and we think Preston will probably be the same at the weekend, so we just have to prepare and get everything out of the game that we can.

“But are places still up for grabs? Yeah, definitely.”

Schumacher faces some big decisions in defence, where two of Chris Forino, Eoin Toal and George Johnston are likely to feature from the start at Stockport, and in midfield, where Josh Sheehan, Xavier Simons and Aaron Morley are also vying for two spots.

Joel Randall is pushing his claim for the number 10 role along with John McAtee and after Richard Taylor sustained a groin injury in the friendly win at Hibs, Bolton may now recruit another left-back to ensure Max Conway also has some competition.

Conway scored an eye-catching solo goal against Shrewsbury on Tuesday night and has also provided a case to start a League One game for the first time in his Bolton career.

“Max is a good player and he’s done well,” Schumacher said. “He’s capable of that sort of thing, in fact he scored a goal very similar to that at Crewe last season where he ran up the middle of the pitch and cut in.

“We know that he has got a lovely left foot, he has a nice feel in possession and can play balls down the line, no problem.

“As I’ve said before, we want to work on his defensive capabilities but, being honest, there’s loads in the squad that can get better at that. He’s not alone.

“Rich will be out for a little while and we don’t want to be in a position where we only have Max, so if we can strengthen in that area then we will have a look to see if it is possible.”

5 minutes ago, Steejay said:

You keep saying that Johnston can fill in at LB, just as you keep saying Forrester can fill in at RB. That’s absolutely bollocks and something you’ve made up.

I think he sees Taylor as a LCB primarily though he is one that can play LB.

I also think that he’s been relatively impressed with Conway, but this still leaves us requiring a more specialised LB.

Inwood has shown maturity and potential but he’s still inexperienced at the level that we aspire to.

You need to remember with him he makes a lot of stuff up and waffles along. 

53 minutes ago, Big E said:

You need to remember with him he makes a lot of stuff up and waffles along. 

Singular Mandela effect.

Johnston at left back makes me feel nauseous.