OWEN Coyle felt hard done by as his side were thumped 4-1 at home by Spurs to leave their Premier League fate hanging in the balance. The Wanderers boss bemoaned his side's defending for Rafael van der Vaart's second-half goal, which sent the North Londoners
AN old friend got me thinking last week whether I, like so many other football fans, had been mistaken in believing Harry Redknapp was the best man, in fact in some people’s eyes, the only man for the England job. “Why Harry?” he asked, questioning the
WE knew long ago that this season at Wanderers isn’t adhering to any script, and after last night’s heavy defeat, you certainly can’t rely on it having a happy ending. All the ingredients were there – a tearful Fabrice Muamba back on the Reebok pitch
MIRACLE man Fabrice Muamba made a triumphant return to the Reebok Stadium for the first time since his cardiac arrest as he stepped on to the pitch to wave to supporters. The Bolton midfielder entered the field to a standing ovation as he
CHRIS Eagles and Nigel Reo-Coker have come through late fitness tests to take their place in tonight's Wanderers team facing Spurs. With the Whites needing just a point to take them out of the bottom three, they head into their game in hand making no
DAVID Wheater reckons the strong bond forged between Wanderers and Tottenham after Fabrice Muamba’s collapse will be cast aside temporarily for 90 minutes tonight. Mutual respect increased 10-fold after the events of March 17, when Muamba went into cardiac
TONY Kelly has backed the Wanderers faithful to play their part in the relegation run-in. The former Burnden Park favourite, who now works as the club’s fans liaison officer, is predicting a white hot atmosphere to rank alongside any he experienced as
OWEN Coyle has no qualms about blooding fearless teenager Josh Vela in the heat of the relegation run-in. The 18-year-old Academy graduate, who has been with Wanderers since the tender age of seven, is on standby to replace Nigel Reo-Coker in the heart
OLYMPIC torchbearers could break an ankle on Westhoughton’s potholeblighted roads, a councillor claims. Cllr David Wilkinson, who represents Westhoughton South, said he fears the council could become a national embarrassment if the torchbearer
A NEW unit has been set up by the police to protect vulnerable people from becoming victims of serious violent crime. The move follows criticism of the way police dealt with high-profile cases, such as Amy Leigh Barnes and Clare Wood, who were
NIGEL Reo-Coker is winning his battle for fitness ahead of tonight’s vital home tie with Spurs. The experienced midfielder, who has missed just one Premier League game this season, was forced out 12 minutes before the end of Wanderers’ 2-2 draw with Sunderland
A BARBER could be forced to remove graffiti art from his shop — after neighbours complained it was an eyesore. Hair stylist Stephen Kempt, aged 24, opened Generations, in Ainsworth Lane, Tonge Moor, in October, 2009. He wanted to attract
IT’S good to see The Apprentice hopeful Azhar Siddique helping the next generation of entrepreneurs at Bolton Sixth Form College. While he’s having mixed success in the TV series, the reality is that Azhar opened his first business in Bolton
GORGEOUS and talented though she is, you do wonder whether Britain’s best-known ballerina Darcey Bussell, pictured, is right for Strictly Come Dancing. She’s just been chosen as a judge to replace the very popular Alesha Dixon who has defected
EVERY now and then we need reminding just how dangerous the latest technology and in particular the wonderful world of the web can be. We are now so used to sending a quick email, popping on to Facebook to catch up on friends and relatives
SUPER Kevin Davies, pictured, was not only the hero of the Sunderland match in Wanderers’ desperate battle against Premiership relegation, but is also a community hero. He and his wife, Emma, have worked tirelessly with their KiDS of Bolton
A TOY shop boss is reversing retail trends by opening a High Street store following the success of her website. Lorraine Webb has opened of Tom’s Toys at Lever Street, Little Lever. The 40-year-old says she is championing independent businesses
I HAVE just read the letter “You did the right thing” (April 27). I am happy to hear that there are some good people in Bolton, I wish I could say the same. I had a small suitcase stolen from my car recently and it was thrown away in Lee Lane,
THE Bolton Cancer Patients and Carers Consultative Group has started a Facebook page which could be very useful to cancer sufferers and their families. It’s full of useful links to more information about carers’ support, bereavement, counselling
AT a time when teachers and teaching standards come under increasing criticism, it’s reassuring to see a local teacher winning a top national award. Carol Holmes, assistant head at Westhoughton High School, has just been officially named as an
WHILE galloping gourmets, naked chefs and celebrity cooks of all talents have come and gone, Mary Berry has quietly continued cooking for the nation. She’s 77, has published more than 50 cookery books and sold more than five million copies
AS we approach the local elections tomorrow, these pages are becoming filled with letters from readers and councillors criticising the government, national party policies and each other. On April 20 criticising the Coalition, John Stott says: “
AS I step down from the position of elected councillor at the elections this week, could I express my gratitude and sincere thanks to the electorate of Tonge-with-the-Haulgh for their support, guidance and constructive criticism over the many years
I CAN see why Graham Chadwick, Green Party, might want to see under-18s given the vote. I suspect it’s because quite a lot of the multicultural junk that his party and perhaps he supports is being disseminated throughout our schools by highpowered
I AM writing in response to Cllr Roger Hayes’ earlier letter in this newspaper. Rather than attacking his Labour opponent, maybe Cllr Hayes could tell us what he has done for the residents of Smithills during his long tenure as councillor? Is
ON St George’s Day, I read a letter from Allan Tunningley. He started by suggesting that, quite correctly, we English do not celebrate the date with enough vigour and “effervescence” but then continued to offer a series of arguments about why
WHAT has happened to the English language? The greeting “Hello” has given way to “Hi”. You ask someone how they are and you get: “I’m good”. I wasn’t asking about their behaviour, but about their health. No one “refers” to anything any more,
GRAHAM Chadwick, Green Party candidate for Horwich North East, does his party no good by saying that pensioners have too much power at the ballot box. He says pensioners tend to vote Tory (not this one!) To balance the power at the ballot box
THE LibDems are understandably desperate to hold on to their Smithills council seat, but for them to accuse Labour of lying about LibDem policies is laughable (The Bolton News April 25). The reality is that the LibDems have been lying to the
ON behalf of all my colleagues in Westhoughton Local History Group, may I say a muchmerited public “thank you” to all those organisations and individuals who contributed to the tremendous success of our commemorations to mark “The Bi-Centenary
POLICE are set to get tough on air rifle yobs after a spate of shootings in public areas. There have been reports of people shooting at wildlife in parks in Leigh. Now police have said they will prosecute anyone found shooting in a public space
A LASTING tribute has been unveiled by the family of a dedicated youth worker who helped change the lives of hundreds of young people. Christine Partington, spent many years working and volunteering with the Wellfield Project, in Deane, before
BUSINESSES in Bolton are struggling to survive because of rising fuel costs, a Bolton MP has said. David Crausby is calling on the Government to scrap the planned 3p increase to fuel duty in August. Mr Crausby, who represents Bolton
A MOTHER who fears for her and her daughter’s lives if they are deported will discover in the coming weeks if she can stay in Bolton. Farida Yeasmin, who has thyroid cancer, has appealed a Home Office decision to send her back to Bangladesh
STANDARDS had fallen so badly at one Farnworth primary school that the governing body was suspended. Now inspectors have found plenty to praise at St James CE Primary after the school turned its fortunes around. The school has been described
YOUR article “Election fight over axeing of libraries” (The Bolton News, April 28) is a necessary reminder that Cllr Cliff Morris and this Labour council have presided over cuts to important public services that affect the quality of life for
TV WEATHERMAN Fred Talbot will hopefully be bringing the sunshine when he visits Bolton to celebrate the transformation of Animal World’s Butterfly house. Fred will officially open the enclosure at 1pm on Sunday during a family fun day organised
A BLACK and white banknote — produced when Bolton still printed its own money — has sold for £900 at auction. The Victorian note, which is about 150 years old, raised £300 more than expected when it went under the hammer at Spink in London.
BOLTON singer Amy-Lou Aldred can honestly say she is “big in Japan” after reaching number two in the country’s dance chart. The 22 year-old’s latest single, Bedroom, which features the rapper Pitbull, has become a surprise hit in the country
A PAINTING by Bolton artist Thomas Moran could sell for $80,000 when it goes under the hammer in New York. The painting of Conway Castle, which dates back to 1917, was previously owned privately in Oklahoma. It will be auctioned by Christie
A TERMINALLY ill woman in her 80s was sent home from the Royal Bolton Hospital at 1.30am — just two days before she died. Now, a retired doctor has accused health chiefs of a “lack of caring”. The woman, who has not been named, was in
POLICE made an April Fool out of criminals during a campaign to clamp down on stealing this spring. The operation has focused on all aspects of stealing throughout April and has led to a 17 per cent reduction in burglary, robbery, vehicle
A DRIVER who was first on the scene of a horror crash in which a four-year-old boy was seriously hurt, has told how he comforted the youngster First aider MarkWoodward, aged 31, was on the way to the gym at Bolton Arena when he saw the three
TACTICS used to rid Bolton’s streets of prostitution are to be used to combat anti-social behaviour in Farnworth. The award-winning police strategy to deal with onstreet prostitution in Bolton town centre, Operation Zero, won plaudits for virtually
TWO drug dealers who were caught red-handed by police have been jailed. Paul Weall, aged 45, of Booth Road, Little Lever, and Gareth Larner, aged 42, of Cromer Avenue, Breightmet, were jailed for two years yesterday. The pair both pleaded guilty
POLICE staff are set to be made redundant in a bid to save money. Greater Manchester Police Authority approved the issuing of 26 redundancy notices to police staff. It followed a 90-day consultation period of the second review of the back office
POLICE were again out in force across the borough cracking down on motorists as part of Operation Dice. It has been set up to tackle motorists who risk lives — their own and others — by driving dangerously and flouting speeding, seatbelt and
A CRACKDOWN has been launched to target drivers who flout the law and put lives at risk. Police have targeted the stretch of Deane Road between College Way and the Tesco Express. Officers have also been working on Operation Dice across
STUART Holden believes Fabrice Muamba’s emotional return tonight will ensure the Reebok finds its roar for Wanderers’ crunch clash with Spurs. Muamba is due to walk out onto the pitch a few minutes prior to kick-off to thank both sets of fans for their
