10 Years Ago

SAM Allardyce had gone a long way in a short time as he got to grips with restoring confidence at the Reebok.

In little over two months since succeeding Colin Todd as manager, Big Sam had inspired a much-needed improvement in the league and had Wembley’s twin towers in sight as Wanderers prepared for a showdown with Tranmere in the semi-final of the Worthington Cup.

But the financial pressure was still on — as Allardyce made clear in his reaction when skipper Mike Whitlow rejected the offer of a new contract.

He wanted to keep the 32-year-old defender but insisted the club was determined to live within its means and issued a warning to all his players that they would only be offered deals that were in keeping with the club’s current financial position.

“The bottom line is that budgets are in place and Bolton Wanderers is now a First Division club in every sense of the word,” Allardyce said.

“I know it’s disappointing for players when they don’t get the sort of deals they are looking for but there are no killings to be made any more.

“The only improved contracts we can give are to the players we consider to be of exceptionally good value to the club on the transfer market “No disrespect to Mike but by that I mean younger players in their early twenties, for instance.”

Whitlow was in no mood to quit Wanderers but was determined to get an improved contract.

“I am trying my damnedest to prove I am worth it,” he said, “but it seems to me that, according to the plc, I’m too old at 32.”

The burning issue in football was the controversy over Manchester United’s withdrawal from the FA Cup to take part in the inaugural World Club Championship in Brazil.

As United flew out, Old Trafford legend Sir Bobby Charlton defended United’s decision to create a slice of sporting history.

“History will show, once again, that we were right to accept the new challenge,” Sir Bobby said.

“When Sir Matt Busby saw the importance of competing in Europe in the 1950s it did not go down well with the little Englanders who thought we should stick to domestic football.”

15 Years Ago

BRUCE Rioch’s Wanderers were battling on three fronts as they marched confidently into 1995. Pushing for promotion to the top flight, they already had a date with Premier League Norwich City in the quarter-finals of the Coca-Cola Cup and were preparing for a third round FA Cup tie at Portsmouth. And spirits could not have been higher after they kicked off the new year with a victory over promotion rivals Reading. Centre-back Simon Coleman, who made up for the mistake that cost Wanderers defeat at West Brom 48 hours earlier by netting the only goal of the game, was only too pleased to have a packed programme, but he wasn’t being greedy. “It would be nice if we could go all the way in all three competitions, but I’ll settle for two,” said the popular Coleman. Rioch was delighted with the attitude of his players, who went into the second half of the season fourth in Division One — just five points behind leaders Middlesbrough. “Their desire to win is excellent,” the manager said. Paul Williams, a local pub darter from Smithills, beat reigning world champion, Canada’s John Part, to secure a place in the last eight of the Embassy World Championships at the Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green. In warmer climes, England’s cricketers went agonisingly close to keeping the Ashes series alive in a dramatic third Test at Sydney. Angus Fraser set up a nerve-tingling finale, taking four Australian wickets in 13 deliveries. But, with victory in sight, Michael Atherton’s men were denied by a combination of worsening light and stubborn tail-end resistance. The Aussies — already 2-0 up — looked favourites to secure the draw they needed to retain the Ashes when they stood at 239-1. But Fraser’s salvo reduced them to 292-7 before Shane Warne — so often the destroyer with the ball — and Tim May stopped the rot. Together they survived 19 overs —helped by deteriorating light that forced Atherton to take Fraser and fellow paceman Darren Gough out of the attack and rely on spinners Phil Tufnell and Graeme Hick and, in a last throw of the dice, the medium pace of Graham Gooch. On the local cricket scene, Little Lever stalwart May Barlow was honoured with life membership of the Bolton League in recognition of a lifetime of service to her club and the league.

40 Years Ago

IT was not just the winter snap that left Bolton Wanderers supporters feeling the chill as a new year dawned. Nat Lofthouse hoped his new signing, World Cup winner Roger Hunt, would inspire a heart-warming run in the FA Cup, but the former Liverpool and England striker hardly had a kick — never mind a chance to show his scoring talents — as a Burnden Park crowd of 22,400 saw Barry Endean score twice to earn Watford a surprise 2-1 win. It wasn’t “Sir” Roger’s fault. While Watford used the ball efficiently and effectively, Wanderers showed little or no imagination in attack, resorting time and again to lumping the ball forward for Hunt or John Byrom to chase. Lofthouse, whose powers of persuasion had coaxed Hunt from Anfield, shared the supporters’ disappointment as he was left to focus on Second Division matters. “The support was tremendous,” the Wanderers manager said. “I want to say a big thank you to them for coming to watch us. But just when we wanted to do well for them we lost. “We had the chances to win but didn’t take them. “That’s football. I’m sorry we didn’t turn on a super show for all those people.” The big freeze continued to cause havoc to the sporting calendar with football and racing hit hard. Three FA Cup replays and the big Manchester United-Leeds United First Division game were all postponed. Manchester fans were buzzing at the prospect of a fourth derby of the season after United were drawn at home to City in the FA Cup fourth round. The First Division rivals had already clashed in the League Cup — City taking the semi-final honours with a 2-1 win at Maine Road and a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford.