BOLTON WANDERERS

The Trotters were original members of the Football League in 1888 but didn't win the cup until the first Wembley final of 1923 and followed that up quickly by winning it again in 1926 and 1929. Since the end of the war football has thrown everything it can at Bolton. The club have experienced true tragedy in the shape of the Burnden Park disaster of 1946, which came at a cup tie against Stoke and took the lives of thirty-three people. Then Bolton became the first of only two sides ever to lose a cup final in normal time having been two goals up when tormented by Blackpool in 1953. Cup success did follow in 1958 when Nat Lofthouse, quite fairly under the rules of the day, shoulder charged Manchester United goalkeeper Harry Gregg into the net with the ball in his hands. Bolton were relegated in 1964, prompting an era of sharp decline in the club's status, hitting rock bottom in 1987 when they played in the fourth division for the first time. With the club's glory days a distant memory Bolton became a giant killer with memorable cup victories over Liverpool in 1993 and Arsenal in 1994 being the highlights. By the turn of the century the club had gone full circle and were back among the elite, even making it into Europe in the UEFA cup but the downside of that is that Bolton have gone from poacher to gamekeeper, culminating in their humiliating defeat at the hands of Tranmere in 2004.

Magic Moments

1904

2-0 @ Sheffield United

Quarter final: 5th March 1904

Scorers: William Yenson, Sam Marsh

Attendance: 20,000

Ranked at the time: 33

Today: outside the top 500

1904

1-0 vs Derby County

Semi Final: 19th March 1904 {at Molineux, Wolverhampton}

Scorer: Taylor

Attendance: 20,000

Ranked at the time: 41

Today: outside the top 600

1905

2-1 @ Manchester City

Second round: 18th February 1905

Scorers: Walter White, Albert Shepherd

Ranked at the time: 14

Today: outside the top 200