ARCHIVE: The Dark Ages #3
Part 3 – Season 1985/86
It had finally sunk in that the route out of Division Three would not be easy to find. In the previous two seasons, the Whites had made little impact, and the pressure was on Charlie Wright to do something about it.
Bolton Wanderers were now in deep decline. Attendances had slipped to all time low averages, and the final league position in 1984/85 was the lowest ever in 97 years of league football. Money was still at a premium and so what was needed was a shrewd approach in the transfer market. Indeed the Summer of 1985 was once of frantic dealing. Wright released seven players: Wayne Foster left for Preston, and later joined Neil Berry who went to Hearts. Regular defender Peter Valentine and Ray Deakin also joined the free transfer market merry-go-round. Bury got Valentine, whilst newly relegated Burnley signed Deakin. Other departures included non-regular Paul Lodge, Paul Booth and loanee Ian Bailey. There were three other more significant departures. Gerry McElhinney had already left the previous season for Plymouth in a £30,000 deal, Brian Borrows, talented left back and by far Bolton’s best player, left for first division Coventry City for an £80,000 fee. Meanwhile Jeff Chandler went to Derby County amid controversy for a paltry £38,000.
Only ten players remained from the previous season. Simon Farnworth continued in goal and without a recognised deputy. In defence, Jimmy Philips started his second season in league football, whilst a young Mark Came established himself as a regular at centre-back. Youth product Paul Fitzpatrick occasionally appeared at right back. There were three replacement defenders signed in the close season. Dave Sutton, a tall bushy-haired centre back was signed from Huddersfield on a free transfer. His blonde hair and general demeanour reminded fans of ‘Big Bird’ off Sesame Street. Derek Scott came to Bolton with a reputation for being a solid and experienced full back. Able to play on either the left or the right he looked a reasonable signing for £20,000 from Burnley. He did not however prove good enough to fill the shoes of the excellent Borrows. The third signing meant the return of a very familiar face – Sam Allardyce. He followed in Sutton’s steps from Huddersfield, again on a free transfer. Still only 31, he brought back memories of the golden 1970s and Wanderers fans hoped he’d also bring a much-needed infusion of pride, passion and charisma. In truth he made little impact beyond marshalling an experienced defence to a couple of Autumn away wins/clean sheets. He was injury prone, and generally more slow and ponderous than at his 1970s peak. Despite the ‘experienced’ look, the defence was no better or worse than it had been in ’84/85. Mark Winstanley also appeared on the scene in this season, providing cover and making a handful of appearances, whilst Julian Darby, at this time a right back, played twice.
“Dave Sutton, a tall bushy-haired centre back was signed from Huddersfield on a free transfer. His blonde hair and general demeanour reminded fans of ‘Big Bird’ off Sesame Street.”
The midfield trio of Thompson, Joyce and Bell were retained by Wright. They were joined by the experienced and evergreen Asa Hartford. A free transfer from Norwich at the age of 35, it appeared that the Scot was merely seeing out his last days. Indeed this is exactly what happened. Nevertheless in his stay he showed touches of class and quality that added an extra dimension to the midfield. In general however, the midfield remained inadequate, with the added problem of being very short staffed.
Up front the loss of Jeff Chandler left a big gap, Wright failed to fill it. David Cross was the only new player in this department. In his days at Norwich, Coventry, West Ham and Man City he had been a quality player and indeed he scored valuable goals for the Whites in his short stay. At the age of 35 he could only ever be a short-term signing. It appeared Wright didn’t want to build a team for the future and so stalwarts Tony Caldwell and George Oghani remained, whilst Simon Rudge, Roger Walker and Dean Roberts provided cover.
Wright had released 10 players and only signed five. This was the price to pay for signing experienced professionals on a higher wage scale. Phil Neal was later to describe them as ‘fat cats’ but in August 1985 most Whites were hoping they would provide an escape route from Division Three.
The season began before a sunbaked Burnden crowd of 5,129 against Rotherham. Three of the new signings played and there were encouraging signs, Asa Hartford in particular looked good. At half-time the Whites led 1-0 through Tony Caldwell, they continued to dominate in the second half until a scruffy late equaliser robbed Bolton of two points. Three days later and more encouragement came. Stockport County had led 1-0 at half time in the first leg of a first round Milk Cup tie at Burnden, but David Cross got his first two goals in a white shirt, Hartford also scored, and Graham Bell completed a 4-1 rout.
Bolton fans made up 1,000 of the crowd at Doncaster on the season's second Saturday, a bank holiday weekend. They witnessed a very solid performance, Allardyce making his first appearance, and David Cross giving Bolton the lead 15 minutes from time. It looked the classic smash and grab away but win, Doncaster equalised two minutes before full time. Still 1-1, an away point, and a fair start to the season.
Bank Holiday Monday however provided a shock in the shape of neighbours Bury. Not for 16 years had the sides met and BWFC fans were unaware of the contempt the Shakers held them in. They also didn’t realise that this would be the first of many 1980s difficulties against Bury. Newly promoted, they ran riot, winning 4-1, much to the delight of their away following. All of a sudden a reasonable start had turned into a poor one, two points from three games. A 2-1 defeat at Gillingham made it two from four, and was followed by a 1-1 draw with Stockport in the 2nd leg of the Milk Cup. It meant a 5-2 aggregate win, but the fact that both games were played at Burnden due to Stockport's ground being out of commission could have had something to do with this.
The first league win of the season arrived on 7th September at home to a financially beleagured Wolves (4-1) who were to be relegated. Steve Thompson and David Cross both scored two. However, the following Saturday a 2-0 defeat at Walsall saw the Whites fourth from bottom. It looked increasingly as though Charlie Wright’s pre-season gamble wasn’t paying off. A 1-1 draw at home to Lincoln and another poor performance didn’t improve matters. It was one win out of seven.
“This would be the first of many 1980s difficulties against Bury. Newly promoted, they ran riot, winning 4-1, much to the delight of their away following.”
The long trek to Newport didn’t exactly give the travelling Whites much hop of a second win. A 1-0 victory was therefore all the sweeter. George Oghani netted the winner with his first of the season. It was relief that an away win had been recorded so early, with the previous season's traumas still fresh in the mind. The following Wednesday night brought a dramatic change of scenery from Newport, the City Ground and a 4-0 drumming at the hands of first division Nottingham Forest in the Milk Cup second round. A 3-1 hammering of Plymouth was dished out at Burnden as a backlash, Joyce, Caldwell and Rudge scoring first half goals. Won 3, drawn 3, lost 3 and things suddenly on an even keel – the springboard for promotion drive? Two demoralising away defeats followed in typical mid 80s fashion, York (3-0) and Reading (1-0). Reading completed their twelfth straight win of the season, breaking two records for straight wins from "Day One" of a season.
Forest completed a routine cup progression over Bolton with a 3-0 win at Burnden, and then another home defeat to Brentford, sent the Wright regime into crisis. A 1-1 home draw with Swansea didn’t assuage the doubts of the fans. A Thompson penalty five minutes from time rescued a point on the Burnden mudbath, much to the displeasure of the Swansea's old campaigner Tommy Hutchinson. Defeat at Bristol Rovers (2-1) completed Bolton’s return to the relegation zone, Wright was now under big pressure.
He reacted by signing Wayne Entwistle, an ex-Bury striker who came from Carlisle for £5,000. He played five times in a white shirt and never scored. His first game however saw three points in the bag, Graham Bell scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win at Cardiff, the second away win of the season. A week later, Thompson's late winner made it six points out of six, in a Burnden victory over Bournemouth. The pressure on Wright eased a little.
Yet another kick in the teeth awaited however. A bonfire night match with Darlington was never going to pull in the crowds. In the event 2,902 turned up, Bolton’s lowest ever league crowd to this day. They witnessed a surreal occasion, and another of those mid 1980s nightmares. With fireworks adorning the skies the only part of Bolton without an atmosphere was Burnden. A 3-0 defeat and a gutless performance saw half of the crowd leave before full time... the last five minutes took on a funereal air.
The four straight defeats that followed saw Wright out of his job. A gutsy defensive performance, was marred by a late Notts County winner, in a 1-0 defeat at Meadow Lane. Then the F.A. Cup came and went in a 3-1 defeat at fourth tier Wrexham. A 1-0 home defeat to high flying Derby County, the fourth Burnden reversal in 10 games, sticks in the mind because of the treatment Jeff Chandler received on his return. Pies, ale, the contents of numerous Manny Roaders mouths, and a wide range of verbal abuse were hurled at him, so much so that he had to be substituted.
“A bonfire night match with Darlington was never going to pull in the crowds. In the event 2,902 turned up, Bolton’s lowest ever league crowd to this day.”
A 2-0 defeat away to jinx team Bristol City finally gave Wright his UB40, relief spread throughout the town.
It fell to Nat Lofthouse to take over as caretaker for one game, and the Whites beat Chesterfield 2-1 at Burnden. The three points were desperately needed and Nat jumped around like a schoolkid on the touchline when the winner went in... no matter what was happening at Burnden, there was always Nat Lofthouse.
December 18th, 1985 was the first day of the Phil Neal era. It started amid much hype and controversy, with the bitterness of his departure from Liverpool. He spoke of ‘sleeping giants’ and the directors spoke of ‘ambition’ and ‘The Liverpool Style’. An injection of much needed optimism made life as a Wanderers fan a bit more bearable for a while. Undoubtedly at the time most BWFC fans were excited by his appointment, and the man’s rhetoric. Neal donned the White shirt in his first match in charge. He even set up the first goal for David Cross. Cross then scored a flukey second and Neal had won his first match at Burnden 2-0 against Doncaster Rovers. The fans trooped home talking about the ‘Shankley Tradition’. Meanwhile Neal was showing early signs of his lack of sense of reality. In his book ‘Life at the Kop’ he admitted to hoping for a ‘cup of tea and a chat' with his opposite number Dave Cusack. Instead the Doncaster player manager had spat at Neal inside the first 10 minutes!
Boxing Day heralded the first visit to Blackpool for eight seasons. Bloomfield Road had declined dramatically since 1977... so had its capacity. A large away following easily filled the shit away end, and celebrated when David Cross scored against the run of play halfway through the second half. Many ‘home’ fans mysteriously got to their feet punching the air as well!! Sadly though Blackpool equalised in the 90th minute. But Neal remained unbeaten. The season halfway point had been reached. Bolton were 17th.
A home defeat at the hands of Wigan (2-1) put paid to Neal’s hopes of starting with an unbeaten run. Steve Thompson was sent off inexplicably by referee Ken Walmsley (a lifelong Wanderers fan!) costing the Whites the match. Four years later on following his retirement Walmsley decided to own up that he’d previously booked Wigan’s number 7, not Bolton’s. Tommo had this expunged from his record, but it cost Bolton an embarrassing defeat at the hands of the pie-eaters. Yet another home defeat the sixth of the season, to Gillingham rammed home the fact that Neal wasn’t going to provide a quick cure. Then a trip to Rotherham, never a happy hunting ground, ended in a sound 4-0 drubbing. Neal was now faced with a relegation struggle, the honeymoon period was well and truly over.
As January ended, so did David Cross’s Bolton career with a loan period at Bury, and later a permanent transfer. There was also an important 3-1 home win over Walsall to put breathing space between the Whites and the relegation zone. A fortunate 1-0 win over Crewe in the Freight Rover Trophy preliminary round got Bolton through to Round One. In the other match a 2-2 draw at Stockport was notable since the Whites were 2-0 down with two minutes to go. This was a run that was to end at Wembley.
“The bread and butter of the league continued with a 2-0 win at doomed Wolverhampton – only the third away win of the season.”
The bread and butter of the league continued with a 2-0 win at doomed Wolverhampton – only the third away win of the season. Typically however this was followed by a 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Bristol Rovers on a freezing cold Tuesday night. Worse was to follow. Swansea had always been a graveyard for Bolton, but with the Welshmen at the point of going bust and rooted at the bottom of Division Three, the promise of another away win beckoned. Instead a 3-1 defeat was sustained, in traditional mid 1980s style... handed to the Swans on a silver plate!
Neal had realised changes had to be made, and two loan signings were brought in. David Felgate, a goalkeeper came from Grimsby Town, and Stuart Ripley a raw 18-year-old winger came from Middlesbrough. Bruce Rioch the Ayresome boss hoped Ripley would gain some experience in his short stay. Within 14 seconds of his first match against Newport at Burnden, he had burned off the Welsh defence to set up a Caldwell goal. Close to the end Ripley belted in the fourth, a 4-0 win and Rioch’s Midas touch at Burnden made its first fleeting appearance. The re-arranged fixture at Bury followed and ended in a 2-1 defeat. ‘Sixty years without a win at Gigg Lane’ said the smug Bury faithful disregarding the fact that Bolton had only played a clutch of games at their ground in that period.
“Within 14 seconds of his first match against Newport at Burnden, he (Stuart Ripley) had burned off the Welsh defence to set up a Caldwell goal.”
March rolled in with a 1-1 draw at home to York City. It would have been three points had the referee not chosen to ignore the blatant foul on Mark Came in the lead up to the York goal. Runaway league leaders Reading came to Burnden the following Saturday. It was one of those golden days when Bolton could do no wrong. It was a 2-0 win featuring a Warren Joyce header from outside the box to make it four points out of six at home, lifting Bolton to a ‘safe’ league position. According to the more optimistic Wanderers fans the Neal factor was now filtering through. A 1-1 draw at Brentford confirmed this, a Dave Sutton equaliser giving the Whites an unaccustomed decent London result. The ‘Neal Factor’ was also evident as the man himself scored the first of a 5-0 rout at home to Cardiff. The directors seemed to have made the right choice! An Easter Saturday trip to Springfield Park, Wigan would test this ‘Neal Factor’ to the full. A sizeable contingent of Whites descended to see more new signings, winger Mark Gavin came from Carlisle for a small fee, while Mike Ring came from Hull City on loan. Ring, a striker made no impact, Gavin however, scored in the Wigan match, one of three in a 3-1 win... revenge for the Christmas travesty at Burnden. The visit of Blackpool on Easter Monday promised another three points. Neal introduced two youngsters to the defence, Mark Winstanley and Julian Darby They performed well, and with the score at 1-1 after 85 minutes Bolton looked good for a point. A Paul Stewart inspired Blackpool however proceeded to score twice to record a rare victory at Burnden, 3-1.
The fifth and final away win of the season, 1-0 at Darlington pretty much assured the Whites of Division Three safety. It was followed by predictable defeats at promotion bound Plymouth (4-1) and Derby County (2-1). A 1-0 home victory over Notts County and a 1-1 draw at Lincoln kept the clock ticking over.
“Of course away form was poor as well... topped off by a 3-0 defeat at Chesterfield on the final Saturday of the season. Numerous drunk Whites made this a day to remember for all the wrong reasons.”
The last two league games of the season saw scratch teams, poor performances and heavy defeats. A 4-0 home defeat to Bristol City, was predictable enough considering Bolton’s inability to even get a shot on the goal against the Robins. This was Bolton’s ninth home defeat of the season. Even in bad times home form was usually good. Not any more... Neal had to ‘Get it sorted’. Of course away form was poor as well... topped off by a 3-0 defeat at Chesterfield on the final Saturday of the season. Numerous drunk Whites made this a day to remember for all the wrong reasons, whilst Felgate gave us a glimpse of things to come by dropping a shot over the line.
Average league attendance 4,846. Top scorers Caldwell 10, Cross 8, Thompson 8.
Having finished in 18th position, Bolton finished one place and one point below that of the 1984/85 season. It was the Whites worst league season to date... but nobody remembered it for that.
Finishing in our worst ever position in our history seemed of no interest to most folk as Bolton blazed a path of glory, Wembley bound in the Freight Rover Trophy.
Having clawed their way back against Stockport and then disposed of Crewe by a single goal, Bolton entered the first round stage at home to Tranmere. The Birkenhead team led by Franky Worthy were beaten 2-1 before a visit to Darlington ended with a remarkable 3-0 victory in front of a large and boisterous away following.
The season was thus extended by a week... two legs of the Northern Area Final against Wigan had to be played. Two matches from Wembley. Not since 1958 had the Whites graced the hallowed turf and yet here at the nadir of their fortunes was a glimpse of the twin towers. True, it was only a tin pot competition but the thousands who travelled to Wigan for the first leg didn’t care. The game was deadlocked, 0-0 at half-time... and with 30 minutes left... 15... 10... 5 and then two. But then in the last-minute Tony Caldwell scored, chaos ensued! The return leg attracted 12,000, most of whom were silenced when Paul Jewell cancelled out T.C.’s away goal... half-time 1-0. By full time however, Caldwell, Oghani and a fervent Burnden crowd had turned the score around to 2-1. Not even news that jinx team Bristol City would be our Wembley opponents dampened the spirits. The 23,000 Whites who travelled to London created a carnival atmosphere, there were pockets of trouble, but there was generally a good natured atmosphere, and after the 3-0 defeat... ‘the result didn’t matter’ was the most frequently heard remark. Other remarks included “Neal will build on this and we’ll get promoted this season”. Bolton’s first fanzine ‘Wanderers Worldwide’ reflected the hopes of many... ‘Division Two – The Holy Grail’.
The summer of ’86 was one of hope. The season of ’86/87 was one of despair.
First appeared in COFTW fanzine – issue 3, April 1994.