Darren Pratley surveys some of his Bolton highs and lows ahead of play-off final
THE Championship has meant mixed emotions for Darren Pratley during a long playing career but tomorrow he will feel nothing but joy if he can help Leyton Orient into the second tier for the first time in 43 years.
Back in his Bolton Wanderers days the midfielder, now 40, had swapped play-off success with Swansea City to jump aboard a side which was seemingly on the up under Owen Coyle.
But Pratley's time with the Whites did not get off to the best start and the club slumped out of the top-flight before he found a proper foothold, serving as captain for Neil Lennon.
Financial issues dropped Bolton down another level but Pratley then came good again for Phil Parkinson and helped them to promotion in 2016/17, also playing a part in the following year's miraculous escape from relegation.
Reflecting on the dramatic 3-2 win against Nottingham Forest that sealed survival on the final day, Pratley recalled: 'It was crazy. An amazing game. I came off around the 60th minute when it was still 0–0 – and it ended up finishing 3-2.
'The atmosphere at the club was unbelievable. [Aaron] Wilbraham scored the winner. People questioned his age and his performances. I remember when the starting XI came out and he was in it, there were a few grumbles, like, 'We're starting a 38-year-old up top?' But he was brilliant that day.
'He helped keep the club up, and the scenes after – when he ripped his shirt off and all the fans ran on the pitch – that felt like a turning point.'
The Nottingham Forest win actually proved Pratley's last appearance of 203 in a Bolton shirt, which arrived in three different divisions.
Looking back on his decision to jump to Bolton after Swansea's play-off final win in 2011, the midfielder admitted it might not have been the right call.
He said on behalf of SkyBet: 'Bolton were an established Premier League club and it was a manager [Owen Coyle] who knew me. I wasn't going somewhere where the manager didn't have a clue who I was. I'd played against his Burnley side quite a bit and done well, so I ended up going to Bolton.
'In hindsight, it probably wasn't the greatest move, if I'm honest. We got relegated that first season, and Swansea ended up staying up on the last day. But at the time, it felt like the right step – going to a solid Premier League team.
One moment of Pratley's time with Bolton in the Premier League which still stands out is March 17, 2012, the night of an FA Cup quarter-final against Tottenham at White Hart Lane where Fabrice Muamba went into cardiac arrest and had to be resuscitated on the pitch and in the ambulance on the way to hospital.
The incident affected every corner of the club but more than a decade on, Pratley is happy to say he still bumps into his former team-mate from time to time in football circles.
'I've seen Fab a couple of times – on player visits and bits like that when he was working with the PFA,' he said. 'That moment at Tottenham was probably the worst experience I've ever had in football – maybe even in life, to be honest. It really affected me.
'I was on the pitch when he collapsed. Seeing a teammate go through that in front of you – it's hard to put into words how much that stays with you.
'But at the same time, it became one of the best moments – just seeing him survive, seeing him come through it. That meant everything. He's coaching now at Bolton, and I wish Fabs all the best – he deserves it.'
Pratley hopes to help Leyton Orient into the Championship via the play-off final at Wembley on Sunday, coming up against another of his former clubs, Charlton Athletic.
'With my experience I can hopefully help the group,' he said. 'Keeping them calm. We had a couple of days away in Portugal just to take our minds off of it, did a bit of training over there, and it was good. If you are at home and thinking about the game 24-seven then it can become overwhelming, so hopefully my experience can keep them calm.'
Pratley played for Charlton against Sunderland in the play-off final in 2019, which ended with a 2-1 win and Patrick Bauer claiming the decisive strike late on.
'Two great clubs and it's a bit disappointing both of us can't go up,' he added.
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