BOLTON WANDERERS F.C.
Founded: 1874
Also Known As:
CHRIST CHURCH (1874-77)
BOLTON WANDERERS (1877-)
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BOLTON WANDERERS F.C. (Football Club)
Included Info: Brief History, Club/Stadium Info, Team Jersey & Much More...
BRIEF HISTORY of BOLTON WANDERERS FOOTBALL CLUB
(reproduced from 'Wikipedia' pages)
The club was founded by the Reverend Thomas Ogden, the schoolmaster at Christ Church 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. 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 (in an era of 2 points for a win).
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.
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. 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, with a further 15,000 locked out as 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 gaining 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.[19] 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.
While Bolton finished 4th the following season, the next 20 years would prove 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. 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. 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
(and then Premiership) Oldham Athletic. Bolton also defeated top division opposition in the form of
Everton (3–2) and Aston Villa (1–0) that year. Bolton reached the Premiership in 1995 thanks to a 4–3
victory over Reading in the Division One play-off Final. Bolton were relegated on goal difference at the
end of the 1997–98 Premiership campaign. In 2000 Bolton reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, Worthington
Cup and play-offs but lost on penalties to Aston Villa. In 2000–01 Bolton were promoted back to the Premiership
after beating Preston North End 3–0 in the play-off final. Bolton reached the League Cup final in 2004, but
lost 2–1 to Middlesbrough. Nevertheless, the club finished eighth in the league, at the time the highest
finish in their Premiership history.
In 2005 Bolton finished sixth in the league, thus earning qualification for the UEFA Cup for the first
time in their history. The following season, they reached the last 32 but were eliminated by French team
Marseille as they lost 2–1 on aggregate. Between 2003–04 and 2006–07, Bolton recorded consecutive top-eight
finishes, a record of consistency bettered only by the big four of Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and
Arsenal. On 13 May 2012, Bolton Wanderers were relegated to the Championship by one point on the last day
of the season after drawing 2–2 with Stoke City, with Stoke scoring a controversial opener in which former
player Jon Walters appeared to push goalkeeper Adam Bogdan into the net, and then a questionable penalty.
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CLUB FACTS & INFORMATION
Official Name
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| Bolton Wanderers F.C. |
Club Nickname
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| The Trotters |
Year Founded
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| 1874 (143 years ago) |
English County
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| Greater Manchester |
Current Ground
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| Macron Stadium |
Ground Location
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| Bolton, England |
Club's Owner
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| Inner Circle |
Club Chairman
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| Ken Anderson |
Current Manager
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| Phil Parkinson |
Current League
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| Championship |
Last Season
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| League One, 2nd place (promoted to Championship) |
HOME COLORS
White & Navy Blue |
AWAY COLORS
Black w/Gold Trim |
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INTERESTING STADIUM FACTS & INFORMATION
MACRON STADIUM
Burnden Way, Horwich, Bolton
Greater Manchester, BL6-6JW England
OPENED: ......... September 1, 1997
SURFACE: ........ Desso GrassMaster
COST: .............. £25 million
CAPACITY: ...... 28,723
RECORD: ......... 28,353 (2003 vs Leicester City)
OWNER: ........... Bolton Wanderers F. C.
OPERATOR: ..... Bolton Wanderers F.C.
FIELD SIZE: ..... 110 x 72 yards (100 x 66 meters)
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HOME JERSEY
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AWAY JERSEY
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Macron Stadium (Bolton) Seating Diagram
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BOLTON STADIUM WALLPAPERS (Free Download)
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