Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is a professional football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in League One, the third level of the English football league system.
Formed in 1874, it was a founding member of the Football League in 1888. The club won the Second Division title in 1908–09, and the FA Cup in 1923, the "White Horse Final", 1926, 1929 and 1958. Bolton were relegated in 1964 and again in 1971, but regained their top-flight status after winning the Third Division title in 1972–73 and then the Second Division title in 1977–78, but three relegations left them in the fourth tier by 1987. Promotion out of the Fourth Division was secured in 1987–88, and they lifted the Football League Trophy in 1989 after being beaten finalists in 1986.
Promotions in 1992–93 and 1994–95 saw them reach the Premier League. Bolton won the First Division title in 1996–97, but were unable to survive more than one season in the Premier League until Sam Allardyce returned them to the top-flight with victory in the 2001 First Division play-off final. Bolton then spent eleven consecutive seasons in the Premier League, reaching the 2004 League Cup final and the knock-out stages of the UEFA Cup twice. Two relegations in five years left them in League One by 2016, and though they won promotion in 2016–17, severe financial difficulties saw the club enter administration in 2019 after relegation back into the third tier was confirmed. Facing possible EFL expulsion and probable extinction, the club was acquired by new owners. Relegated to the fourth tier in 2020, they won promotion out of League Two in the 2020–21 season and the EFL Trophy in the 2022–23 season.
From 1895 to 1997, the club played at Burnden Park, after moving from their original home at Pike's Lane. Since 1997, Bolton have played home matches at what was originally named the Reebok Stadium, today the Toughsheet Community Stadium. They have spent 73 seasons in the top flight without winning the title, more than any other club.
History
Early history (1877–1929)
The club was founded by the Reverend Joseph Farrall Wright, Perpetual curate of Christ Church Bolton, and Thomas Ogden, the schoolmaster at the adjacent church school, in 1874 as Christ Church F.C. It was initially run from the church of the same name on Deane Road, Bolton, on the site where the Innovation factory of the University of Bolton now stands. The club left the location following a dispute with the vicar, and changed its name to Bolton Wanderers in 1877. The name was chosen as the club initially had a lot of difficulty finding a permanent ground to play on, having used three venues in its first four years of existence.Bolton were one of the 12 founder members of the Football League, which formed in 1888. At the time Lancashire was one of the strongest footballing regions in the country, with 6 of the 12 founder clubs coming from within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire. Having remained in the Football League since its formation, Bolton have spent more time in the top flight than out of it.
In 1894 Bolton reached the final of the FA Cup for the first time, but lost 4–1 to Notts County at Goodison Park. A decade later they were runners-up a second time, losing 1–0 to local rivals Manchester City at Crystal Palace on 23 April 1904.
The period before and after the First World War was Bolton's most consistent period of top-flight success as measured by league finishes, with the club finishing outside the top 8 of the First Division on only two occasions between 1911–12 and 1927–28. In this period Bolton equalled their record finish of third twice, in 1920–21 and 1924–25, on the latter occasion missing out on the title by just 3 points.
On 28 April 1923, Bolton won their first major trophy in their third final, beating West Ham United 2–0 in the first ever Wembley FA Cup final. The match, famously known as The White Horse final was played in front of over 127,000 supporters. Bolton's centre-forward, David Jack scored the first ever goal at Wembley Stadium. Driven by long-term players Joe Smith in attack, Ted Vizard and Billy Butler on the wings, and Jimmy Seddon in defence, they became the most successful cup side of the twenties, winning three times. Their second victory of the decade came in 1926, beating Manchester City 1–0 in front of over 91,000 spectators, and the third came in 1929 as Portsmouth were beaten 2–0 in front of nearly 93,000 fans.
In 1928, the club faced financial difficulties and was forced to sell David Jack to Arsenal to raise funds. Despite the pressure to sell, the agreed fee of £10,890 was a world record, more than double the previous most expensive transfer of a player.
Top flight run and cup success (1929–1958)
From 1935 to 1964, Bolton enjoyed an uninterrupted stay in the top flight – regarded by fans as a golden era – spearheaded in the 1950s by Nat Lofthouse. The years of the Second World War saw most of the Wanderers' playing staff see action on the front, a rare occurrence within elite football, as top sportsmen were generally assigned to physical training assignments, away from enemy fire. However, 15 Bolton professionals, led by their captain Harry Goslin, volunteered for active service in 1939, and enlisted in the 53rd Field Regiment, Royal Artillery. By the end of the war, 32 of the 35 pre-war professionals saw action in the British forces. The sole fatality was Goslin, who had by then risen to the rank of Lieutenant and was killed by shrapnel on the Italian front shortly before Christmas 1943. 53rd Bolton Artillery took part in the Battle of Dunkirk and also served in the campaigns of Egypt, Iraq and Italy. Remarkably, a number of these soldiers managed to carry on playing the game in these theatres of war, taking on as 'British XI' various scratch teams assembled by, among others, King Farouk of Egypt in Cairo and Polish forces in Baghdad.File:Sport and Leisure during the Second World War H7497.jpg|thumb|left|Men from Bolton Wanderers Football Club serving together with a battery of artillery in the 53rd Field Regiment, Royal Artillery, of the 42nd Infantry Division, at Beccles, Suffolk on the east coast of England. The photograph, taken sometime in 1940, shows the nine footballers in uniform cleaning an artillery piece.
On 9 March 1946, the club's home was the scene of the Burnden Park disaster which, at the time, was the worst tragedy in British football history. 33 Bolton Wanderers fans were crushed to death, and another 400 injured, in an FA Cup quarter-final second leg tie between Bolton and Stoke City. There was an estimated 67,000-strong crowd crammed in for the game, though other estimates vary widely, and a further 15,000 had been locked out when it became clear the stadium was full. The disaster led to Moelwyn Hughes's official report, which recommended more rigorous control of crowd sizes.
In 1953, Bolton played in one of the most famous FA Cup finals of all time – The Stanley Matthews final of 1953. Bolton lost the game to Blackpool 4–3 after having had a 3–1 lead. Blackpool were victorious thanks to the skills of Matthews and the goals of Stan Mortensen.
Bolton Wanderers have not won a major trophy since 1958, when two Lofthouse goals saw them overcome Manchester United in the FA Cup final in front of a 100,000 crowd at Wembley Stadium. The closest they have come to winning a major trophy since then is finishing runners-up in the League Cup, first in 1995 and again in 2004.
Few highs and many lows (1958–1995)
While Bolton finished fourth the following season, the next 20 years proved to be a fallow period. The club suffered relegation to the Second Division in 1963–64, and were then relegated again to the Third Division for the first time in their history in 1970–71. This stay in the Third Division lasted just two years before the club were promoted as champions in 1972–73. Hopes were high at Burnden Park in May 1978 when Bolton sealed the Second Division title and gained promotion to the First Division. However, they only remained there for two seasons before being relegated.Following relegation in 1980, Bolton signed up talented striker Brian Kidd, as they prepared to challenge for a quick return to the First Division. Kidd scored a hat-trick in his third game for Bolton, a 4–0 win over Newcastle United in the league, but the rest of the season was a struggle as Bolton finished close to the relegation places. By the end of the 1981–82 season, Bolton were no closer to promotion and had lost several key players including Peter Reid and Neil Whatmore. The following season Bolton were relegated to the Third Division after losing 4–1 at Charlton Athletic on the final day.
Despite a new-look, much younger team, and an 8–1 win over Walsall, Bolton's best league win for 50 years, Bolton failed to win promotion in the 1983–84 season, and remained in the Third Division for another three seasons. In 1986, Nat Lofthouse was appointed President of the football club, a position he would hold until his death on 15 January 2011. At the end of the 1986–87 season, Bolton Wanderers suffered relegation to the Fourth Division for the first time in their history, but won promotion back to the Third Division at the first attempt. The club won the Sherpa Van Trophy in 1989, defeating Torquay United 4–1. During the 1990–91 season, Bolton were pipped to the final automatic promotion place by Southend United and lost to Tranmere Rovers in the play-off final, but they failed to build on this and the following season saw the club finish 13th.
The early 1990s saw Bolton gain a giant-killing reputation in cup competitions. In 1993, Bolton beat FA Cup holders Liverpool 2–0 in a third round replay at Anfield, thanks to goals from John McGinlay and Andy Walker. The club also defeated higher division opposition in the form of Wolverhampton Wanderers that year before bowing out to Derby County. Bolton also secured promotion to the second tier for the first time since 1983. In 1994 Bolton again beat FA Cup holders, this time in the form of Arsenal, 3–1 after extra time in a fourth round replay, and went on to reach the quarter-finals, bowing out 1–0 at home to local rivals Oldham Athletic. Bolton also defeated top division opposition in the form of Everton and Aston Villa that year.