Promotion v Bolton or Promotion v Forest?

Written by bigfatolly

So, you are at the pearly gates.

You are about to step in and God says that before you are allowed in, you can relive either AFC Bournemouth verses Bolton Wanderers in 2015 or AFC Bournemouth against Nottingham Forest in 2022.

Which one do you choose?

It’s a difficult one because both matches are different things for different people.

Against Bolton there was a certain inevitability that we were going up, Bolton were a poor side and it would only be a matter of time before we got what we needed.

Forest was so different in many ways, there was no certainty in it, and many different scenarios depending on the result.

I don’t think I have ever been that tense at a football match, and for me, the atmosphere in the ground was amongst the best ever at a home game.

I think I know which game most would pick though…

Your say…

DJ said…

The Bolton game was the culmination of an entire journey. From -17 to the Premier League.

Like all good movie’s it had its bit in the middle where it lost its way a bit, but that all just added to the drama of the comeback…

So that’s why Bolton and being the first time stands out.

But as one single event. Forgetting all the rest. The Forest game was extraordinary for promotion to come down to a single shoot-out between two sides. With the other side in unbelievable form.

Neil Dawson wrote…

Tough one!

Bolton, just, because it was unbelievable. All those years and none of us thought it remotely possible until half way through that season when we dared to dream.

Forest as a footballing one-off was incredible though. A straight shoot out. I didn’t think we’d lose to Bolton the week before, I had real fear with Forest because they did look bloody good in the lead-up.

So Forest is the better match, Bolton the better occasion and the end of a miracle with a team of journeymen so shades it.

AFCBmattjamr added…

Both amazing for different reasons and feel so lucky to have seen both.

Bolton was far less tense and we cruised to a comfortable victory playing absolutely sensational football. Also, it being the first time reaching the promised land in our history and knowing we were about to take a step into the unknown made it all the more exciting.

If your could custom build your own football match it would be the Forrest game. Two top teams in the league, under the lights, big prize on the line, late winner. When the ball hit the back of the net it was one of the best feelings I think I’ve had as a fan (the sound of Pugh’s strike cracking the inside of the post Vs Bolton is close and still gives me tingles). The tension released in that moment was epic.

I think Bolton slightly edges it for me on the fact at the time it was a historical step into the unknown for the club, whereas we know what to expect from the Premier League now.

Monmouthred said…

Agree with most. 14/15 was just a brilliant season, with 8 teams battling it out for the vast majority of it. We smashed teams away time and again.
The Bolton victory sealed an impossible dream into reality, and we had no idea what the heck to expect in the PL.

That in turn, unbelievably led to 5 seasons in the PL, which eventually led to an inevitable relegation.

The big question was always how would we cope, would we ever get close to getting back? The high likelihood was, that we would have to do it quickly or perhaps never achieve it again.

Oh, and then lockdown.

So this season starts like a train, with upwards of 5 u21s in the team.

Fans in the stadium again. My first game back, a first-ever away win at Forest, who would have known how crucial that was at the time?

15 unbeaten, and then some inconsistency here and there.

Ultimately coming down to a Forest shoot out, although the cards were stacked in our favour.

High tension, and I am just as delighted to have won promotion again.

This time I do know, what to expect, and am excited about the progression of this team. I think the vast majority of us, just haven’t given them quite enough credit. Perhaps because we have been there before? Parachute payments, sure, but many don’t make it back.

14/15 could never be repeated. 21/22 came bloody close.

However this is the here and now, so right now Forest was better because it has opened the door again to the glorious unknown (and guaranteed the obvious financial injection to keep it all going for a few more seasons yet).

glennafcb added…

Forest for me, for 3 reasons.

1. Both my lads were with me – memories that will stay with us forever

2. The constant teasing both myself and my lads were getting at school (we live in Nottingham) by the entitled florist fans living in the past (funny how they’ve gone so quiet now).

3. Because there was so much riding on that single game.