West Ham go top of the Championship after Bolton win

The captain opened the scoring early and settled it late, and the win was West Ham's third in a row in the league — the first time they have managed that since December 2023. That run two years ago prompted a contract offer to David Moyes that went unsigned and was later withdrawn before the Scot left the club six months on. The decline that followed ended in relegation last May.

Around 4,500 travelling fans stayed behind at the final whistle to acknowledge the players, on a journey home that for many will not end until the middle of the night. Between songs for Bowen and choruses declaring West Ham "massive", the away end also sang repeatedly, and unflatteringly, about former chairman David Sullivan.

Sullivan was not at Bolton, but he has attended every Hammers home league game this season and travelled to Watford last month for a 1-1 draw. His continued presence has surprised some supporters. He resigned as chairman in June, saying he intended to fight allegations made against him in a joint BBC Panorama and Times investigation, and that departure was widely expected to lead to a clean break from the club.

His exit, along with Karren Brady stepping down as managing director in April, was cited as a factor in West Ham selling 50,000 season tickets for their first campaign outside the top flight since 2011. Their average home league crowd this season is above 60,000.

Going top after such a barren recent spell may do more to answer the fans' mood than any boardroom departure has managed so far, though the songs at Bolton suggest opinion on Sullivan's continued involvement has not moved with the results.