ANYONE who looks into the history of town's famous football club -- the 125-year-old Bolton Wanderers -- will read about a rollercoaster journey that has included massive setbacks, extraordinary successes and even darkest tragedy.

From its humble beginnings as a Sunday School football team the Wanderers slid up and down various divisions and league tables on their march to becoming the world famous Premiership side they are today. Over the years a host of star players have wowed the crowds. Joe Smith was their record scorer one season; Nat Lofthouse -- the Lion of Vienna, famous for when he scored for England against Austria -- has been with the club for more than 50 years both as a player, manager and president and more recently, the club paid a record transfer fee of £3,500,000 for Wimbledon player Dean Holdsworth in 1997.

Whether they have been based at their early home at Pikes Lane or later at Burnden Park, or at today's impressive multi-million pound Reebok Stadium in Horwich, the Wanderers have continued to put the town on the map. The club has its origins in the Christ Church Sunday School football team. In those days a schoolmaster captained the team and the local vicar was club president.

In 1877, a new club broke away and eventually became known as the Wanderers -- as they had to wander to neighbouring hostelry the Gladstone Hotel. Their early football was played at the Park Recreation Ground and Dick Cockle's field. In 1881 they moved to Pikes Lane and in 1895 to Burnden Park. The Wanderers had the distinction of becoming one of the 12 founder members of the football league in 1888.

Bolton's major success has come in the FA Cup -- which they have won four times. The first three FA Cup wins were in the club's 1920s golden era. The first of the cup finals in 1923 was the first to be staged at the new Wembley Stadium. The last time the Wanderers lifted the cup in victory was in 1958 when they beat Manchester United 2-0.

March 9, 1946, was to be the club's blackest day. Thirty three people were killed and hundreds injured when an estimated 85,000 crowd poured into Burnden Park, which only had an official gate for 65,419.

Despite spending much of the past 30 years in the lower divisions, the club has enjoyed recent success. Managers Bruce Rioch and Colin Todd took them from the old third division to the Premiership in just three years. In 1995-6 they reached the Coca-Cola Cup final but lost to Liverpool -- although there was some consolation when they were promoted to the Premier League. In 1997 they moved into the Reebok Stadium in Horwich.

However, they were relegated after one season back into the first division. But, true to their motto Supera Moras (Overcome all difficulties) under current manager Sam Allardyce they bounced back up into top flight football in 2000/01.