Bolton Wanderers vs Stoke City FA Cup Semi Final 2011

FA Cup Semi Final

17th April 2011

Wembley Stadium

Bolton Wanderers

vs

Stoke City

Awaiting our 8 coaches at The Dyers Arms, Leek.

All the way to the motorway, through Stoke on Trent, people were stopping and waving to us and cars were peeping their horns. Once on the motorway, all we could see ahead were dozens and dozens of SCFC buses, minibuses and cars with red and white scarves and flags, with just the occasional car with one or two Bolton fans making rude gestures at us...

Passing a huge crowd of Bolton fans, and just around the corner, we found the Stoke fans, in fine voice and well oiled.

Our first glimpse of Wembley, awesome.

I was expecting our view to be poor given the fact that we were in inexpensive seats but Wembley has been designed in such a way that the sides rise up much more steeply than pictures suggest and the view is amazing wherever you are.

Stoke City had sold every single ticket they were allocated whilst Bolton had returned 6000 tickets. Empty seats in their half of the stadium was easy to see and they struggled to make enough noise to counteract the roar of the city supporters.

Red and white everywhere on this glorious Sunday afternoon.

"Come on you mighty potters!!!!!!!!!!"

Just before kick off, 'Delilah' was played over the PA system much to the delight of the city support.

Jen positive that Stoke are going through........

Bolton coaches on the left, Stoke on the right, mind you, most Bolton fans left at half time.

Oh...sorry, I didn't mention the score....

Bolton Wanderers 0
Stoke City 5

(Etherington 12', Huth 17', Jones 30', Walters 68' and 81')

I'll never forget the roar from Wembley stadium when Matty Etherington smashed the first goal into the net in the 12th minute. I've watched it a again and again on the FA website and find it very hard to describe. The goal was at the Bolton end of the stadium so the noise started with the nearest Stoke fans on the half way line and slowly crept to the back, building and building like a huge thunderstorm....totally awesome and mindblowing.......

That's Stoke in the FA Cup final for the first time in the club's 139 year history, and in all probability a ticket into European football......

Bring on Man City in the Final, we've got nowt to lose...

Come on City!!!

Woody