EXCLUSIVE: The future of Bolton Wanderers is close to being secured - thanks to a £2m loan from the Professional Footballers' Association. The club have been in administration since May 13.

Bolton's players have finally been paid up to five months of overdue wages after the League One side went into administration back in May.

Crisis club Bolton Wanderers are in administration, forcing them to begin League One life with a 12-point deduction while they wait for a protracted takeover to go through.

DANIEL MATTHEWS AT ADAMS PARK: Bolton's matchday squad was a ragtag bunch and for almost an hour they threatened to add yet more farce to the occasion.

DANIEL MATTHEWS AT ADAMS PARK: Geoff has been watching Bolton Wanderers for 50 years. On Saturday he's at Adams Park with Pete, who is closing in on his own half-century.

Manchester United midfielder Ethan Hamilton is a loan target for Southend United. The 20-year-old box-to-box midfielder impressed on loan at Rochdale last season.

Bolton, who have been in administration since May and began the season with a 12-point deduction due to financial difficulties, were due to be bought by the Football Ventures consortium.

Dave Boddy, Coventry chief executive, said: 'Around 10:45am this morning, we received contact from the EFL that they intend for the fixture to go ahead as scheduled.'

The veteran goalkeeper, could start for Liverpool away at Southampton on Saturday in the Premier League as they look to maintain their fast start to the season following their 4-1 victory over Norwich.

The Trotters pulled the plug on their fixture at just 24 hours' notice due to welfare concerns for their young squad, who have been thrust into senior action amid the off-field problems at the club.

Bolton have officially confirmed the departure of manager Phil Parkinson and his assistant Steve Parkin, and insisting the pairs resignations were accepted 'with great reluctance.'

Hill is understood to be on the list Bolton want to have discussions with. The fact Hill would be obtainable without Bolton having to pay compensations is key given the club's financial predicament.

The EFL are dealing closely with Bury and Bolton and the latter are now at risk of being kicked out of the Football League if the protracted sale fails to materialise in the next 72 hours.

Bolton Wanderers will officially begin liquidation this week after a deal to sell the football club dramatically collapsed, leaving the former Premier League side in a perilous position.

Bolton are now facing extinction unless a deal to buy the club which collapsed can be dramatically resurrected. Sportsmail answers all the questions surrounding Bolton's future.

There was a time in the not-so-distant past when Bolton Wanderers offered sublime evidence that every modest town had the right to a seat at football's top table.

Bolton, one of the founding members of the Football League, are in a desperate fight to survive with the club hurtling towards liquidation if a deal to buy it cannot be revived.

Bolton administrator Paul Appleton says the future of the club 'is still in doubt' but hopes there will be a 'positive outcome' before Tuesday's 5pm deadline set by the English Football League.

Staff at Bolton have been told that plans to liquidate the League One club 'have been put on hold'. A memo was sent to club staff on Wednesday hours after the EFL served Bolton a 14-day notice.

Bury Football Club's slide into liquidation was a 'slow-moving train' wreck which was allowed to happen by the English Football League, says Accrington Stanley's outspoken chairman.

The struggling club has delivered news to supporters that will provide the club with a future beyond the next two weeks after it was purchased by Football Ventures Limited.

Bolton caretaker manager Jimmy Phillips hopes to sign four players before Saturday's Sky Bet League One game at Gillingham.

Bolton defender Joe Bunney was admitted to hospital with a broken collarbone and broken ribs after a road traffic accident.

EXCLUSIVE BY MIKE KEEGAN: The League One side have instead been handed a five-point penalty which is suspended for 18 months, in what will be viewed as a major boost for the club.

The League One side were given a five-point deduction, suspended for 18 months after they failed to fulfil some of their matches, as well as being handed a fine, but that has been called lenient.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW BY CHRIS WHEELER: Wanderers had been saved but another battle was beginning. They had started the season with a 12-point deduction and just six senior players.

Republic of Ireland international Daryl Murphy has admitted to taking cocaine on a night out that led to him being banned by the Football Association.

AHEAD OF THE GAME - MATT HUGHES: The ongoing battle for control of Sheffield United is hindering attempts to tie manager Chris Wilder and key player John Lundstram to new deals.

WARNING - GRAPHIC CONTENT: Coventry City midfielder Callum O'Hare has revealed the extent of a gruesome head injury he suffered in Saturday's 2-1 win over Bolton Wanderers.

Justin Gatlin does not care that Usain Bolt laughs at the challenge he is mounting for 100 metres supremacy this summer.

Jamaican sensation Usain Bolt crushed the competition in Sunday's 100m race, leaving American Justin Gatlin with the country's only medal for the historic race.

Tyson Gay has admitted he will have to suppress any animosity he feels towards drug cheat Justin Gatlin for the benefit of the US 4x100m relay team.

Usain Bolt suffered a rare 100 metres defeat when he was beaten by drugs cheat Justin Gatlin in Rome. The Olympic champion said he stumbled after making the ‘perfect start’ and could not catch Gatlin, who won bronze behind Bolt in the 100m in London.

Justin Gatlin remained unbeaten this season by winning the 100 metres at the Golden Spike meet on Tuesday, clocking 9.86 seconds to improve his own world-leading time of the year.

One former drugs cheat, Justin Gatlin, ran the quickest 100m time in the world this year on Thursday night, while another, Tyson Gay, made his comeback with 9.93secs in second place.

On Thursday night in Lausanne, Switzerland, three sprinters broke the 10-second barrier for the 100 metres: Justin Gatlin, Tyson Gay and Mike Rodgers. Gatlin’s 9.80secs was the quickest time in the world this year.

American sprinter Justin Gatlin finished the season undefeated in all of his 18 races with a 9.83 seconds 100 metre win at the IAAF world challenge meeting in Rieti on Sunday.

Sebastian Coe has questioned the nomination of former drugs cheat Justin Gatlin as one of the IAAF's athletes of the year after the new research in to long-lasting effects of steroids.

Former Olympic champion and convicted drugs cheat Justin Gatlin has been handed a new sponsorship deal by Nike, sparking outrage in the Athletics world.

By giving a new sportswear deal to twice-convicted drugs cheat Justin Gatlin, Nike is legitimising the taking of performance-enhancing drugs in sport by making a cheat look cool.

Athletics fans should lay off two-time drugs cheat Justin Gatlin and direct their ire at the sport’s governing body instead, according to former Olympic Champion Michael Johnson.

Justin Gatlin sent a message to Usain Bolt on Friday - both with his legs and his mouth. Gatlin lived up to the pre-season hype by winning the 100m in a world-leading 9.74 seconds in Doha.

Organisers of the Beijing World Challenge have denied that they kicked out Justin Gatlin from their meeting and said they were 'perplexed' by the controversial sprinter's claim.

Justin Gatlin added the year's fastest 200m time to his resume at the Prefontaine Classic Diamond League meeting.  Gatlin equalled his lifetime best with his run of 19.68 seconds

Justin Gatlin insisted he was not thinking about beating Usain Bolt to gold at the World Championships later this year after another stunning win in the 100 metres.

MARTHA KELNER: Justin Gatlin can produce a nightmare scenario for advocates of clean sport by breaking Usain Bolt’s 100metres world record this summer, according to ex-sprinter John Regis.

Controversial Justin Gatlin set the stage for a world championship showdown with Usain Bolt when he won the 200 metres in a blazing 19.57 seconds at the U.S. trials in Oregon on Sunday

The credibility of Alberto Salazar’s defence against doping allegations has been further undermined by an interview he gave about a controversial incident involving Justin Gatlin in 2006.

Justin Gatlin easily beat two big-name rivals by clocking 9.75 seconds in the 100 metres at the Athletissima Diamond League race on Thursday.

Switzerland is renowned for being neutral but the country nailed its colours to the mast where drug cheats are concerned by hosting the dirtiest Diamond League race this century.