50 YEARS AGO

IT was all systems go at Burnden Park after Liverpool beat Stockport County at the second attempt to book an FA Cup fifth round date with Bolton Wanderers.

Wanderers, who had beaten Preston 2-1 at Deepdale in the fourth round, had to wait more than 48 hours after the Monday lunchtime draw before they could start planning in earnest for the glamour home tie as County, bottom of the Fourth Division, had surprisingly held the reigning League Champions to a draw at Anfield.

And although Bill Shankly’s side were far from impressive in the replay at Edgeley Park, a 2-0 win courtesy of two goals from top scorer Roger Hunt, was just the result the hard-up Wanderers directors had been hoping for.

The following morning, after a specially-convened board meeting, they made it clear they were ready to cash in on their good fortune – bumping ticket prices up to 10 shillings a seat for a game described in the Bolton Evening News as “the most magnetic attraction at Burnden Park since the cup series of 1958 and 1959 drew attendances of 50,000 upwards”.

The price hike might not have gone down well with supporters, but, according to BEN’s football correspondent Haydn Berry, it was no big surprise, considering the club was finding it tough going managing on Second Division income.

“Raising the prices for big events in football has become the regular practice and is not to be wondered at in places like Bolton Wanderers where public support of league football is inadequate,” he wrote.

“The Wanderers must take advantage of the odd glamour fixture to offset the weekly loss of several hundred pounds.

“But it is a pity some scheme could not be devised whereby the loyal 14,000 regular followers did not have to suffer the extra cost along with those who only pick and choose the big games or who come into Bolton from other places.

“This is the faction that will grumble about the new prices, although it should be pointed out that normal prices for seats at Bolton are and for some time have been lower than those of surrounding clubs.

“This tie will have a ceiling gate figure of just over 50,000 and if this is attained or anything like attained, the receipts will be a new club record.”

Prospects of Wanderers progressing to the sixth round appeared slim, bearing in mind the quality and power of Liverpool’s squad, but there was some encouragement in the fact that Bill Ridding's side had an impressive home record and that over two games against the Football League’s lowest placed club, Shankly’s Reds looked nothing like champions.

But Ridding, who was at the Edgeley Park replay running the rule over his next opponents, was too shrewd to be fooled into thinking they were past their best.

Saying that, Wanderers were impressive themselves at Deepdale where they coped with a difficult surface and difficult opponents to see off their Second Division rivals.

Francis Lee, a late call-up, put them ahead from the penalty spot in the 57th minute but the tie looked to be heading for a replay after a defensive mix-up gifted Alex Dawson an equaliser two minutes later.

Then, five minutes from time, Lee created an opening, skipped past a couple of tackles and sent in a low cross which Wyn Davies swept home from six yards for the winner.

35 YEARS AGO

STAN Anderson, installed as caretaker manager following the sacking of Ian Greaves, wasted no time in putting his stamp on Bolton Wanderers.

Anderson, who had been Greaves’ assistant but was not immediately promoted to the top job when the Burnden directors decided a change was necessary with Wanderers rock bottom of the First Division, sprang a surprise by naming striker Alan Gowling at centre-half for the upcoming home game against Coventry.

Then he sanctioned the sale of Scottish midfielder Neil McNab to Brighton – a deal he hoped would provide him with funds to add some young blood to his ageing squad.

With home gates tumbling as it became increasingly clear that Wanderers would be relegated after just two seasons back in the top flight, Anderson knew there was no hope of getting cash to spend on new players without selling first. And McNab, a Scotland Under-21 international, was one of his most saleable assets.

Wanderers were being strongly linked with Bury midfielder Danny Wilson – at 19 the youngest captain in the Football League – speculation being fuelled by chief scout Jim Conway being seen at Gigg Lane in recent weeks.

But Anderson insisted he was in no rush to spend whatever money was coming his way from the McNab deal – just shot of the £250,000 Wanderers had paid Tottenham 15 months earlier.

“Our policy now is to look around for a couple of young players,” the caretaker manager said.

“If Jim recommends a couple of players we have been watching we will be in business. But I don’t want to panic into buying a player, just because someone has gone.

“We really have to be looking to next season, although I would like to sign at least one player before the transfer deadline in March. But so far we have made no inquiries about particular players.”

McNab was a club record signing when he joined Wanderers in October 1978, when he was one of the most highly-rated young midfield players in the game, having been named in Scotland’s initial squad of 40 for the World Cup.

Things had turned sour for him at Tottenham following the arrival of Argentina World Cup winners Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa and at the time Ian Greaves regarded his new buy as a quality player who would be a key player for Wanderers for years to come.

But the young Scot lived to regret the move – up and down form exacerbated by the death of his father and his growing disillusionment with what he claimed were Greaves’ “negative tactics” prompting him to describe his decision to join Wanderers as “the biggest mistake of my career”.

McNab’s departure, combined with the loss of veterans Willie Morgan and Roy Greaves, who were out of contract at the end of the season, plus the possible departures of Gowling and Peter Reid, were not making life easy for Anderson in his new role.

And things became even more uncomfortable when injuries robbed him of full-backs David Burke and Dave Clement. Hence his decision to use Gowling as a central defender, enabling Mike Walsh to switch from centre to left-back.

But it was not a whim with Anderson explaining: “Alan played in that position for the reserves last week and has done a lot of work in practice and looked impressive. He reads the game well and I have every confidence in him.”

Unfortunately, Gowling had to wait before getting the chance to justify the manager’s faith after the Coventry game was postponed because the Burnden pitch was frozen – more proof if it were needed that Wanderers should press ahead with their plans to install undersoil heating.

Away from football, Bolton’s international snooker star Tony Knowles was cleared to turn professional.

The 24-year-old star of amateur snooker was given the unanimous backing of the United Kingdom’s professional players when they met in Birmingham to consider three applications to join their ranks.

Knowles’ application was granted while those of Dublin’s Eugene Hughes and Leeds’ Ian Williamson were turned down.

20 YEARS AGO

BRUCE Rioch’s Wanderers landed the most devastating blow yet in the race for the Premiership when they stormed to the top of Division One with a 5-1 demolition of Wolves at Burnden Park.

They left the Molineux men – pre-season promotion favourites - devastated and left none of the other contenders in any doubt of their top-flight credentials.

The only worry now was that, after hitting top spot, they were there to be shot down. Having built a reputation as giant-killers with their amazing White Hot cup exploits, they were now a prized scalp in their own right.

But after battering Wolves into submission with an awesome performance of skill and strength, they had the confidence and the competence to take it all in their stride.

“Everybody will be looking to knock us off the top from now on,” full-back Jimmy Phillips acknowledged after firing the finest of the fantastic five goals – his first since his return to his hometown club.

“It sometimes makes life tougher for you if you go top too soon . But I’d rather be up there than not.”

That Wanderers smashed five past highly-rated opposition for the second game running, having beaten Charlton by the same scoreline, without the services of injured top scorer John McGinlay, underlined the strength in depth Rioch had at his disposal as Wanderers fought on two fronts, having already reached the semi-finals of the League Cup.

The game had looked anything but one-sided when Don Goodman cancelled out Richard Sneekes’ ninth-minute opener and even 2-1 up at half time after Simon Coleman had scored the second, Wanderers still had a job on their hands.

But when Phillips fired in a 25-yard screamer for the third, there was only going to be one winner – and it wasn’t the Old Golds. Owen Coyle claimed the fourth goal 12 minutes from time and Alan Thompson bagged the fifth on 83 minutes to leave Wolves manager Graham Taylor suitably impressed.

“That was a good win for them,” the former England manager said magnanimously. “I felt Bolton played football with an end product while, other than a 15-minute spell in the first half when we equalised, we were playing football and getting nowhere.”

Skipper Alan Stubbs beamed with delight after leading Wanderers to the top of the division for the first time since they were promoted as champions in 1978, insisting; “I don’t see why we shouldn’t stay top.”

And Thompson went one better when he said the Whites had the ability to hold their own in the top flight, provided they could get there.

“Of course we can live with them up there,” said the Geordie wide man, drawing confidence from the cup runs. “We’ve done it once every three months in the cup.”