By Kevin Nolan Bolton captain

Read my answers to your questions

The end of the football season feels exactly like the last day of the school year.

The final whistle at the end of the last game of the season is like the bell at the end of your final class - signalling six weeks of holiday stretching in front of you!

Qualifying for the Uefa Cup after Bolton's draw with Aston Villa was mission accomplished

The only trouble is, just like when I was at school, it all seems to pass far too quickly.

The structure of the English season means that the only proper break the players have comes in the summer.

It is important to make the most of it and I will be taking a couple of holidays with various friends and family, making sure I totally switch off from football.

It is important to think about something other than the game for a few weeks.

Many people work a lot harder than footballers but the nature of our job means that we are constantly thinking about what we can and cannot eat or drink.

There is a great deal of discipline involved and allowing the mind to rest for a few weeks is, in its own way, the start of the process of preparing for the next season.

Paul Jewell obviously decided that the end of the season was a good point at which to take some time out from the game.

He managed to keep Wigan in the Premiership but must have been under tremendous pressure for a long period of time.

Managers work incredibly hard and I do not think they are ever truly able to switch off.

I would not blame any manager who left a club because they decided to spend some more time with their family.

Sammy Lee, of course, is just starting out as a manager at Bolton in his own right.

He came into the dressing room after our draw with Aston Villa on Sunday had clinched a place in next season's Uefa Cup and thanked us for our efforts during the campaign.

There was a great atmosphere in the dressing room, with everybody congratulating each other. It was very much a case of mission accomplished.

I can now look forward to losing my passport once again next season on one of our foreign trips!

Playing in the Uefa Cup means more fixtures next season and I think we need to bring a few players to the club over the summer.

Lee has taken over from Sam Allardyce

Apparently, Sammy has given the chairman a list with 20 names on it but I have not got a clue who they are.

Personally speaking, I thought I had a good season and contributed to the team doing well.

I would have liked to have scored a few more goals but what most disappointed me was the amount of games that I missed through either injury or suspension.

Injuries are a part of the game but I do have a measure of control over the number of cards that come my way - and that is something I will be looking to address next season.

The last weekend of the season coincided with the BBC and the Football Foundation's Your Game campaign coming to my home city of Liverpool.

Your Game website

Your Game is the UK's largest street football tournament and, typically, the event went down to penalties.

Your Game has been to Leeds and Manchester and is travelling around the country - keep an eye out for it.

Finally, I would like to say a massive thanks to everyone who has read the column and sent in questions this season.

It is something that I have really enjoyed doing and I have been amazed by the number of people who have talked to me about it.

Some have even been complimentary!

Hi Kevin,
What is your opinion on the FA Cup final and which players do you think will make a difference?
Conor, Wales

Manchester United have been strong all season but for some reason I have a feeling that Chelsea will sneak victory.

Hi Kevin,
How long a break do you get from the end of the season until pre-season training? Is the break long enough for the recuperation needed for next season's campaign? All the best.
Martin G, England

The last day of work is the last day of the season, which was 13 May. We report back for pre-season training on 29 June. Now, is that long enough? No way!

As happens at every club, the players went through a series of tests before leaving - weight, body fat etc - and the club will expect us to return in good shape.

From the first week in June I will be running every day and making sure I am ready for the start of pre-season.

Is there any truth in the rumours that you will be following your ex-manager Sam Allardyce to St James Park?
Thomas Salton, England

This is the first that I have heard of it. I have spoken to Sam since he left Bolton to thank him for everything he has done for me - but I am a Bolton Wanderers player and am really happy at the club.

Kevin,
What is the worst shot or attempted trick you have ever done?
Umar, England

No doubt about this one - the own goal that I scored at Middlesbrough that set us on our way to a 2-0 defeat in April 2004. A genuine shocker that I have never lived down. An overhead kick into our own net.