20 years ago

BRUCE Rioch launched a scathing attack on the sick side of soccer as his star defender lay in hospital with a broken leg.

The Wanderers boss, deeply distressed by the injury to Simon Coleman and angered by Marco Gabbiadini’s tackle that caused it, slammed a section of Derby County supporters.

While TV cameras showed fair-minded Rams fans applauding Coleman as he was stretchered off 11 minutes into the Baseball Ground clash when Wanderers were leading through a Jason McAteer goal, Rioch was in earshot of others who were far less sporting.

Working hard to control his emotions, the manager fumed: “What’s amazing about life and football today is that a chap has a very serious injury, a very, very serious injury and people on the terraces are happy. They cheer and get a kick out of seeing someone go down injured.

“That is disturbing in our society and it is disturbing to be involved in professional football to see that sort of action and response to someone who is obviously in a great deal of distress and a great deal of pain.

“A section of the home supporters were ranting and raving at him and I find that distasteful and sickening.”

Coleman, a former team-mate of Gabbiadini’s in his Derby days, was recovering after undergoing surgery in Bolton’s Beaumont Hospital after being transferred from Derby Royal Infirmary where X-rays confirmed he had a serious fracture.

He was the third Bolton player in the 1994-95 season to suffer a broken leg, following fellow defenders Neil McDonald and Nicky Spooner.

Wanderers players and officials were angered by Gabbiadini’s challenge which went unpunished by referee Michael Bailey.

Captain Alan Stubbs spoke for his stunned team-mates after the 2-1 defeat – Dean Yates and Lee Mills snatched the points with goals in the last 10 minutes – and said losing Coleman, his centre-half partner, would be a massive blow.

“I can’t believe the referee and linesman haven’t seen it,” said Stubbs. “People all over the country will have seen it on television.

“It was just an everyday tussle with the pair of them going for the ball – nothing malicious. Then Gabbiadini turned round and said Simon had elbowed him and all of a sudden took a swipe at him.

“I couldn’t believe it.

“The result doesn’t seem to matter. All our thoughts are with Simon. I just hope he’s going to be okay – but we know he’s not okay.”

Rioch, who raced onto the field the moment Coleman went down, was seen remonstrating with Gabbiadini, the referee and a police officer.

Guarded in his comments on the incident, he said: “We’ve all seen it and it’s a nasty one. It was a foul and they should have been down to 10 men.”

Asked what he had said to Gabbiadini during the fracas, he revealed: “I just said when he puts his head on the pillow this evening and every evening he will think about Simon Coleman and what happened. And he will.

“The sadness we feel is not about losing the game but losing Simon.”

Derby boss Roy McFarland defended his striker, saying: “Gabbiadini was just annoyed that he’s been elbowed in the face.

“His reaction was more annoyance than anything else because the referee hadn’t given a foul.

“He lashed out and obviously caught the ball and Simon. It’s all right Bruce saying what he feels. It’s what the referee feels that matters.

“You don’t like seeing a player break his leg because you know he’s going to have problems. Simon’s an ex-player of ours and we wish him a speedy recovery.

“But the way it happened, I would say there was no intent.”

......

35 years ago

BOLTON Wanderers fans were still waiting for an official announcement but there was no doubt who would be given the task of reviving the club’s fortunes following the sacking of Ian Greaves.

Caretaker-manager Stan Anderson, who had been Greaves’ assistant, did not possess the magic wand needed to turn the tide that was sweeping Wanderers towards almost inevitable relegation from the top flight.

But he had done enough in his month-long “trial” period to impress the Burnden Park directors.

In the aftermath of a 2-0 defeat at Manchester United, where the Bolton players claimed with some justification that Steve Coppell’s decisive second goal should not have stood, the word was that Anderson’s appointment was such a formality that thoughts turned to who would become his assistant.

The former England international half-back – a legend in the North East where he captained Sunderland, Newcastle and Middlesbrough – had not managed to inspire a win in his five games at the helm, but Wanderers had drawn twice – at Leeds in the league and at home to Arsenal in the fifth round of FA Cup.

They lost the replay and three days later were beaten again by the Gunners at Highbury in the league.

And they made United fight all the way for the points at Old Trafford – a game that was played 48 hours after United chairman Louis Edwards was found dead in his bath at his Cheshire home having suffered a heart attack.

Wanderers were pressing for an equaliser after trailing to a sixth-minute Gordon McQueen header when they conceded the controversial second goal in the 58th minute that effectively killed them off.

Wanderers players and United supporters in the crowd claimed they heard referee Ray Baker blow his whistle before Coppell struck the ball past Jim McDonagh in the Bolton goal.

It came on a breakaway attack, during which a whistle was heard when Wanderers centre-half Paul Jones clashed off the ball with United striker Joe Jordan.

The derby defeat – a season after Wanderers had done the double over United – left a bitter taste but seemingly did not affect Anderson’s job prospects.

An important factor that had made him a shoo-in was his willingness to take important decisions off the field.

He sanctioned the sale of one of Wanderers’ costliest players – Neil McNab – to Brighton then placed record-signing Len Cantello on the transfer list.

And when Paul Jones asked for a transfer, Anderson rejected the request and told the defender in no uncertain terms that he expected him to see out his contract.

“The player is under contract until 1981 and he will serve his contract out,” he said. “We abide by contracts and we expect players to do the same.”

Anderson had also impressed the Bolton directors by introducing a number of junior players to the first-team squad as he embarked on a re-structuring operation designed to cut costs and prepare Wanderers for Second Division football.

......

50 years ago

IT had been one of the most keenly-anticipated games since the glory days of 1958 and, for drama, it didn’t disappoint.

But, in the end, Second Division Bolton Wanderers were eclipsed by League Champions Liverpool in a fifth-round FA Cup tie played in front of a Burnden Park crowd of 57,207.

The tie was in the balance right to the end with Ian St John and Peter Thompson crafting the only goal of the game – an Ian Callaghan header – six minutes from time.

In truth, it was no more than Bill Shankly’s side deserved, having been denied by two outstanding first-half saves by Eddie Hopkinson in the Wanderers’ goal, first from Alf Arrowsmith then Roger Hunt, although the Wyn Davies-led Bolton attack had Liverpool on the back foot for much of the first 45 minutes.

There were no clear-cut scoring chances created though and in the second half Liverpool began to turn the screw, dominating the game and forcing Bill Ridding’s men to defend like Trojans in the face of wave after wave of attacks by the red tide.

With Davies, Francis Lee and Gordon Taylor struggling to hold up the ball, the back line was subjected to almost incessant pressure as the men from Anfield sensed that one goal would be enough to see them into the quarter-finals.

But Wanderers held firm until St John rolled a pass out to Thompson on the left and after cleverly drawing the Bolton defence towards him, he clipped a cross to the far post when Callaghan was unmarked.

It was such a simple finish but it broke Bolton hearts, denying them a place in the last eight of the competition they had won four times.

There were no recriminations after the brave effort, though, with Shankly acknowledging Liverpool could have had no tougher battle while Ridding insisted it was no disgrace to be beaten by such a powerful and talented side.

And as the Bolton directors counted the benefit – record receipts of £13,533 – the manager paid a glowing tribute to the police who controlled the bumper crowd and the supporters of both sides, who helped make the day such a special one in an era when football hooliganism was beginning to rear its ugly head.

“They were both wonderful,” Ridding said. “The police especially did a magnificent job. Everything worked smoothly.”

The only incident came near the end of the game when a section of fencing behind the Great Lever End goal gave way under pressure from the crowd. But police and ambulancemen quickly had the situation under control and there was just one spectator admitted to hospital.

“Win, lose or draw, we would do with that sort of atmosphere every match,” Ridding added. “It was really splendid and we hope spectators will give us the same support in our bid for promotion.”

Wanderers stood fifth in the Second Division table, eight points behind leaders Newcastle United but with four games in hand on the Magpies and on third-placed Norwich, with three games in hand on second-placed Northampton Town and fourth-placed Derby County.

Liverpool’s reward for their hard-fought victory was a trip to Leicester in the sixth round. Leeds United were drawn away to Crystal Palace, Chelsea were at home to winners of the Peterborough-Swansea replay and Manchester United were drawn away to the winners of the Aston Villa-Wolves tie.