Bolton Wanderers ticket controversy is bound to add fuel to fire in Stockport County visit | OneFootball

The travelling team made their feelings known on social media

There is already a fairly tense recent history between Stockport County and Bolton Wanderers, who visit Edgeley Park this Saturday (9 November), but an extra element has been added by the Trotters leading up to the game.

The controversial transfer of Antoni Sarcevic between the clubs, when they sat two divisions apart, along with County’s dramatic FA Cup Replay win in the same season, all add to the sense of intrigue around this fixture.

However, whether it was needed or not, the visiting side added another element when they claimed that County had not offered the travelling fans enough tickets.

Time will tell the truth of that claim, but it will be interesting to see how it may impact the game itself.

Bolton claim that County haven’t offered enough away tickets

The claim, posted on Bolton’s official X account, went as follows: “We can confirm that the club will not be receiving a further allocation for our trip to Stockport County.

“Despite this allocation not meeting requirements in line with EFL Ticketing Regulations, we received confirmation today that more tickets will not be made available.”

On Bolton’s official website, they added: “Despite this allocation of 844 tickets not meeting the requirements in line with EFL Ticketing Regulations, the club received confirmation on Thursday morning that we will not be receiving a further allocation that would meet the minimum threshold of tickets that is required to distribute to away teams.

“The club are disappointed with the outcome and have formally raised the matter with the EFL.”

There are EFL rules on how many away tickets must be offered

Rule 35.7.1 of the EFL regulations states that a club must allow for 2000 visiting supporters or 10% of the stadium’s certified capacity, if that figure is lower than 2000.

Edgeley Park’s current capacity is 10852, meaning 10 per cent of that would work out to roughly 1085 tickets, more than the 844 tickets Bolton say they were offered.

The rules do allow for a club to apply to reduce this figure, but it is unclear whether this has happened in this case.

There was some suspicion by fans in the replies to Bolton’s initial tweet that they were supplied with more tickets, but have saved some of the allowance as complimentary tickets for people connected with the club, but this has not been confirmed by either side.

From County’s perspective, at the time of writing, they have not made any public comment on the ticketing issue for this game.

It would seem a relatively straightforward issue for the EFL to solve, as their rules are clear, and it seems to boil down to a simple maths question.

Due to the rules being so clear on away attendances, it would seem odd that the Hatters would so openly break such regulations — the section Bolton have been given is the section given to all away fans this season, so it surely would have been noted by the League’s regulators by now.

It feels like this may have been an issue better solved behind closed doors with the EFL, before publicly stoking tensions between the two sides on social media.

In any case, it would seem a simple case to solve, and should Bolton’s claim to the EFL be successful, fans will no doubt be updated in due course.

The Hatters are in for a tough test on Saturday

For Bolton fans, many of whom have likely missed out on tickets due to the small allocation, it adds an extra motivation to win on Saturday, along with instances like the FA Cup Replay defeat and the Sarcevic transfer.

That makes for a tricky outlook for County, who are coming off the back of a heavy 5-0 defeat to Wycombe Wanderers in the week as they prepare to face sixth-placed Bolton.

Adding to their worries will be the fact that defender Ethan Pye, who has started every League One match so far this season, will be suspended for the game due to accumulation of yellow cards.

Ticketing, past history and selection issues make this an interesting tie. County, and their fans, will need to be on top form to stand any chance of taking something from the game.