ARCHIVE: McGinlay (pen)
John McGinlay’s penalty taking for Bolton Wanderers over the last five seasons has been quite memorable, even legendary and almost totally unblemished. White Love attempts to recall the majority of them.
I can’t quite list everyone he has taken and scored (I don’t have the exact facts to hand), but I am sure he has only missed one in open play (plus one in a Coca-Cola Cup penalty shoot-out against Norwich). That came down at Southend on January 12th, 1994 – if my memory serves me correct (we won the game 2-0 anyway). Since then he has scored every time he has been required to from the spot.
It all started at a windy Bloomfield Road, when Andy Walker was AWOL, back in February 1993. Of course, Walker was the regular spot-kick taker and a very good one at that, and so John wasn’t asked to do the honour much during his early Wanderers career. However, when Walker was again laid off, this time for over a year, McGinlay was given the responsibility. In fact the responsibility wasn’t actually bestowed upon him until the most crucial moment of the 1992/93 season. With 15 minutes left in the final game of the season, Bolton were drawing 0-0 with Preston in a game they had to win. A dubious handball was spotted by the referee and the Whites were offered a free ticket to promotion. The pressure on McGinlay must have been immense – he could not fail to score. Thankfully, the Scot took the kick as cool as you like and BWFC were promoted.
The following season saw the Wanderers awarded six penalties and all bar one were clinically dispatched into the opposition goal. Leicester, Gretna, Watford and Charlton watched helplessly as McGinlay fired in from twelve yards out, whilst Tony Kelly did the honours against Sheffield Wednesday in the Scot’s absence. It’s fair to say that McGinlay was under little pressure to score any of these spot-kicks, certainly in comparison to the one he got against Preston. However, when he stepped up at Burnden to score against Charlton, he was on his way to his first ever Bolton Wanderers hat-trick and so I suppose there was some degree of personal pressure.
The summer of 1994 saw Bolton travel to Blundell Park for the opening game of the season. The statistics state that the game ended 3-3 and that Paatelainen (2) and McGinlay (pen) got the goals. A month later, McGinlay again did the business in a 4-0 stuffing of Stoke at Burnden Park. It was November of that year before he was asked to perform the task once more. This time it was at Upton Park, as the Wanderers pulled off another one of their Rioch giant-killing acts, beating the Hammers 3-1. Bolton were only award-ed a further penalty that season, and in McGinlay’s absence, Alan Thompson shot the Whites to a 1-0 victory over West Brom with a mountain of pres-sure on the young Geordie’s shoulders.
During the Premier season, Bolton were only awarded three penalties. Alan Thompson scored in the opening day game at Wimbledon and Mark Patterson got the second during the 5-2 defeat at Anfield. Both were taken in McGinlay’s absence, but the Scot took on the duties once more when Wimbledon visited Burnden. On that occasion, the heat was on for the Wanderers to take three precious points in a bid to survive relegation. And heated it was, as Robbie Earle was incorrectly penalised for handling when he clearly headed the ball, he was sent off and a commotion ensued. When it finally died down, the cool McGinlay stepped up and slammed the ball deep into the Embankment End goal.
“John had the chance to record his third hat-trick for Bolton from the penalty spot, during the 6-1 demolition of Spurs. You never doubted him as he struck the ball sweetly into the awaiting net.”
By the end of December of this season, Bolton had received five penalties – an unusually high amount compared to past seasons. The first came at Charlton with Bolton chasing a game they were losing 3-1. McGinlay slotted home and the Whites eventually pulled off a 3-3 draw. A week later, John was asked to do the honour again, in the first minute of the top-of-the-table clash with Barnsley at Oakwell. As ever he finished coolly and the Whites were on their way (unfortunately they let it slip and as we all know drew 2-2). He also scored from the spot against Crystal Palace at Burnden in another 2-2 draw, this time after being brought down himself when it looked highly likely he would score. Just over a week later, John had the chance to record his third hat-trick for Bolton from the penalty spot, during the 6-1 demolition of Tottenham. You never doubted him as he struck the ball sweetly into the awaiting net. The fifth penalty came in the home game against Southend, when Nathan Blake was dubiously felled in the box. Scott Sellars had al-ready scored twice and John sportingly offered him the chance to grab his hat-trick but Sellars declined and the canny Scot finished with ease.
Since the turn of the New Year, BWFC have only needed McGinlay to perform his spot-kick routine on one occasion (at the time of writing – just after the Oxford game). That came at Burnden against Birmingham, with the scores level at 1-1 and only ten minutes left. John himself had been decked in the box but brushed himself down to drill home the winner.
It is a welcome feeling to know that when Bolton get a penalty, they are 99.99% likely to score. John McGinlay has been awesome with his penalties, taking over the role that Andy Walker and Tony Philliskirk filled almost as amicably. And when John has been injured or suspended, Alan Thompson, Tony Kelly and Mark Patterson have been 100% successful as penalty substitutes. Let’s just hope I haven’t given McGinlay the kiss of death by writing this piece!!
Note: First published April 1997 in Issue 16 of White Love and sold before the last ever game at Burnden Park. Thankfully we didn’t give Super-John that ‘kiss of death’ – as he went on to score in the 88th minute of that game from the spot. Phew! Legend.