The Bad #1
Bolton Wanderers...1 Luton Town...2
5th September 1981
There are many reasons why a football match might stick in the mind – a brilliant goal, the fans, an event during, before or after the game or even sometimes a piece of music. In the case of Bolton’s game against Luton at home in September 1981 it was a track by a synthpop band typical of the era.
It was 1981 and music was awash with the electronic sounds of the likes of Depeche Mode and The Human League. In September of that year though it was a band called Soft Cell who were at the top of the charts with their version of an old song called “Tainted Love”. The chap on the tannoy at Burnden clearly liked it as he played it twice before the game and again at half-time in Bolton’s early season fixture with Luton Town.
The Wanderers had only made themselves safe from relegation to the third tier with a couple of games to spare in 1980/81, their first after relegation from two years in the top flight. George Mulhall had become manager, replacing the sacked Stan Anderson. The season had started with a predictable opening day defeat at Stamford Bridge – the Luton game was our first home match and second league game overall.
“David Pleat boasted classy players like Ricky Hill and Brian Stein. They were a club on an upward trajectory.”
It was a sun-drenched early September day but the Luton teamsheet made for sober reading for the home fans. The Bedfordshire club had finished fifth the season before and under boss David Pleat boasted classy players like Ricky Hill and Brian Stein. They were a club on an upward trajectory who’d beaten us 0-3 at home on the last day of the previous season.
On bright days at Burnden the afternoon sun would often glare from behind the Manny Road stand and the Burnden Paddock would become a sea of faces with hands held over eyes as if in some kind of salute. While squinting through the sunlight those Paddock fans saw a valiant first half Bolton performance inspired by Peter Reid – but what chances were made were missed and it was 0-0 at half-time. Cue more “Tainted Love”.
More of the same followed in the second half as Bolton had the better of the game without presenting too much threat. On the hour mark though Alan Gowling pounced from close-range in front of the Lever End. After defeat on the opening day it felt like we were on the brink of getting our season up and running. Sadly it was not to be.
That opening goal sparked Luton in to life and Bolton seemed to go in to their shells to protect the lead they’d fought so hard to acquire. The back four sank deeper and deeper and it was no surprise when Brian Stein turned the ball home from close-range passed Jim McDonagh for the equaliser.
By now the tide was unstoppable and the prospect of a first home win of the season was a fading prospect for the 6,911 fans at Burnden. However our first point of the campaign also went up in smoke when Luton defender Mark Aizlewood’s daisy-cutter beat McDonagh to send the small band of visiting fans in to ecstasy on their section of the Embankment.
Played two, lost two. The weary walk up the Manny Road in the warm sunshine was just a prelude to the agonies in the weeks ahead. Eleven games in to the year we’d won two and lost nine and it was clear that this was to be another relegation dogfight. We escaped on the last day of the season in May in dramatic style. There was little such drama in September though – just a monotony of harsh realities to the soundtrack of “Tainted Love”.