CONSIDERING Barry Fry’s Bolton Wanderers career lasted just three games some 53 years ago, his recollection of his one-and-only goal for the club is crystal clear.

“We were at Cardiff and Gordon Taylor got the ball on half way,” he reminisced, hardly breaking for breath. “Francis Lee and Freddie Hill beat about three players and Freddie crossed the ball.

“Big Wyn Davies could jump eight foot-four in the air and Cardiff had the great John Charles who could jump just as high but somehow the ball dropped over them both, hit me and and... GOAL!”

Fry is unquestionably one of football’s characters, and one who after 750 games in management spanning four decades now finds himself as director of football at Sunday’s opponents Peterborough United. As a player he was a former Busby Babe who joined Bolton as a winger under Bill Ridding in 1964 until injury effectively ended his professional career.

“Nat Lofthouse was the reserve team manager back then,” Fry said. “He was a great man. Unfortunately I got injured and only spent a year at Bolton, which was a shame.

“I love Bolton. It would be great to see them get promoted back to the Championship after what has happened to them in the last few years.”

Fry’s Posh team, managed by Grant McCann, will be out to make things as difficult as possible on that front this Sunday.

The 72-year-old is upfront about how his club operate in the transfer market and knows some of his younger players could attract attention with a good performance in front of the TV cameras.

“It’s a fact of life that each year the owner says we have to offset £2-2.5million in losses by selling players on,” he said. “We’ve done it successfully with players like Conor Washington last summer or Dwight Gayle, Brit Assombalonga and Craig Mackail-Smith.

“We’ll have a few 17-18-19 year-olds in the squad at Bolton and there are one or two we think have got a chance.

“We’re a young team, quite the opposite to Bolton, really, but I’d warn the Bolton fans they won’t get it easy.”

Fry is impressed with the job Phil Parkinson has done this season and also gave due credit to Wanderers’ new ownership, who have worked hard to steady the ship.

“Phil has done a terrific job and built a very solid team,” he said. “He hasn’t had it easy but when you look at the situation Dean Holdsworth and Ken Anderson walked into, it was never going to be.

“They need to go up and get those away followings - the Leeds, Birminghams and Sheffield Wednesdays of this world who bring 5,000 fans in. They need to get back to the level they should be.”

Fry knows first-hand how tough football ownership can be having assumed control of Peterborough in the mid-nineties.

"It just about killed me," he laughed. "I made a mistake because the owner said he was going to put the club into administration and I bought if from him.

"What people don't realise is that you've then got to find £150,000 a month out of your own pocket.

"I can fully appreciate how hard it is to run a football club.

"You see the way David Sullivan and David Gold have done it at West Ham, the money they put in, but look at them now.

"That could happen for Bolton if they can stick with it."

Fry goes back a long way with Dean Holdsworth and can recall congratulating him on success at Newport early in his non-league managerial career.

"I respect Dean a lot because it isn't easy going and managing down in the lower leagues like that," he said. "When he took them up I sent him a message of congratulations because those kind of things can mean a lot.

"I remember getting one from Sir Alex Ferguson at one point and it made me feel 10 feet tall.

"When Dean came down here Bob Burrows, who does our boardroom hosting, looked after him.

"I was delighted to hear that Dean has invited Bob and his wife Peggy as his guests for the day. That was a very classy touch."