Wanderers Plan Their Summer Holidays

The local lads will have to be on the ball when they head onto the pitch at the National Sports Centre in the pre-season friendly, planned in July.

The event has been organised by Rushen committee member Shaun Watterson and colleague John Buchanan, thanks to the link between Strix boss Eddie Davies and both clubs.

Rushen United is sponsored by Strix and 57-year-old Mr Davies is a non-executive director at Bolton, with a 94.5 per cent shareholding. The team will head over on July 8 when there will be a gala dinner at the Villa Marina, Douglas.

The following day the Premiership players will head to six or seven grounds around the Island to hold skills workshops for aspiring young footballers.

The clash will take place that afternoon.

The match will be split into three parts with the first and third being played by Rushen United and the second by either the Island team or an Island select team, depending on whether the Island team attends the Island Games in Shetland.

Mr Watterson said the visit has been arranged to help boost the club's fundraising efforts for an indoor training centre.

It is hoped around eight thousand fans will see the match, quite a few more than the usual 100-strong attendance at Rushen's small ground at Croit Lowey.

Bolton, however, is used to playing at its state-of-the-art £45 million Reebok Stadium, which has a 28,000 capacity.

'We'll give them a five or six goal head start,' joked Mr Watterson.

External Links: www.rushen.co.uk
This article is sponsered by Barclays