After writing about a Bolton Wanderers game for his Year 8 English assessment, Oliver Aspden was given the surprise of a lifetime. The real-life hero of his story, former Wanderers striker Aaron Wilbraham, learnt of Ollie’s writing after it was posted online and decided he wanted to surprise him with a visit to Sharples to talk about his work and the famous goal he scored.
Students had to write a story with ‘A Memorable Day’ as their title and Ollie decided to write about a day that will live long in the memory of Bolton Fans: 6th May 2018 and the unforgettable victory over Nottingham Forest. Wilbraham, who scored the crucial winning goal in the final minutes of the match to rescue Bolton from relegation, is a cult hero in the hearts and minds of Bolton fans. The goal has thousands of views on YouTube and it is one of the highlights in a fairly challenging few years for the club. Ollie captured the passion and energy of the game in his work and it proved popular with Whites fans on Twitter thanks to a post from his English teacher, Mr Hesford.
Wilbraham surprised Ollie on the penultimate day of the half term and presented him with a signed copy of his story and the shirt he wore in that famous victory. He posed for photos and told him how much he had enjoyed reading his work. It was the perfect way to end the half term and it has given one Sharples student a memory that will last a lifetime.
