SPORTING MEMORIES 50 Years Ago NAT Lofthouse reported for duty at Burnden Park — just as he had done for two decades — but this time was different.

Bolton Wanderers were preparing for a big FA Cup match — a third round tie against local rivals Bury — but their captain and legendary centre-forward was not involved, and would not be involved again.

He had finally conceded defeat in his battle to recover from the ankle injury that had kept him on the sidelines all season.

So as his team-mates trained in readiness for the Bury tie, Nat didn’t bother changing out of his shirt, tie and club blazer. He filled his time doing odd jobs, collecting fresh stockings from a town centre store and helping with the sherry-and-egg brew that had become a tradition in the build-up to cup ties since manager Bill Ridding introduced it for the 1958 FA Cup final.

For the first time for more than 20 years, Nat was, quite simply, the odd man out.

Manager Ridding summed up the mood: “This is a loss we cannot minimize, a loss for the club as well as for Nat himself.

“His parting with the game as a player is sad for all. He has set an example on the field and in his training and in the way he has remained with one club. That could not be bettered by any professional player and one that any young player can follow.”

Wanderers duly won the Bury tie —- but not before being taken to a replay . . . and extra time at that!

In fact Bury thought they had the tie sewn up when they led 2-1 with just 16 minutes to go at Burnden — Calder and Watson scoring twice in as many minutes after Dennis Stevens had opened the scoring. But Ray Parry equalised to take the tie into extra-time and, to the delight of the majority of fans in the crowd of 43,616, goals from Brian Birch and Parry again gave Wanderers a 4-2 win and a trip to West Brom in the fourth round.

Matt Busby responded to Manchester United’s 7-3 hammering at Newcastle United by dropping young goalkeeper David Gaskell and recalling the more experienced Harry Gregg for their FA Cup clash with Derby.

Garry Sobers and Frank Worrall shared a record-breaking fourth-wicket partnership of 399 as West Indies reached 563-8 declared in reply to England’s 482 as the first Test in Barbados petered out into a draw.

25 Years Ago CHARLIE Wright did his prospects of getting the manager’s job on a permanent basis a power of good as he steered Wanderers to their first win in five games — a convincing 3-0 victory over Derby County.

Wright, goalkeeper at Burnden in the 1970s, had been appointed caretaker following the departure of John McGovern but had the look of a prime candidate, watching from the dugout as new skipper Jeff Chandler scored twice in the second half to add to Tony Caldwell’s first-half header.

“We had no failures out there,” Wright said. “We looked much more solid.”

And the job? “That’s up to the players. If they can play like that every week, who knows?”

Over at Old Trafford the pressure was mounting on Ron Atkinson as Manchester United’s title hopes faded.

United fans were in despair after a 1-0 home defeat by Coventry.

Bury, top of the Fourth Division after four successive wins, handed their rivals a ray of hope when they slipped up 4-1 at Halifax.

Five Years Ago SAM Allardyce dropped a bombshell when he admitted he was putting some of Wanderers most popular players up for sale to raise cash for January signings.

The Bolton boss sent an email to every club in Britain, advertising the fact that seven of his squad were available for transfer.

But the big news came with the identity of some of the names on the list: top scorer Henrik Pedersen could go for £1million while former Real Madrid legend Fernando Hierro, stalwart Reebok defender Anthony Barness, and one-time hero Florent Laville were also named in the circular.

“Ideally I would like to keep all of them,” Allardyce said, “but one of the biggest parts of the manager’s job these days in accountancy and adhering to budgets and if you’re not doing your facts and figures, you’re not doing your job.

“It’s about creating your own revenue to get players in, that’s what I may have to do.”

Moscow Dynamo striker Dmitri Blykin, Portsmouth midfielder Amdy Faye and Liverpool centre-back Stephane Henchoz were among the players Allardyce was hoping to sign, provided he could raise the cash.

Hierro was so aggrieved to learn that he had been transfer-listed he demanded showdown talks with Wanderers chairman Phil Gartside.

“I don’t know what it’s down to but, in any case, I will be speaking to the chairman to see what is going on,” the Spaniard said.

Outspoken Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan hit out at Greater Manchester Police over the cost of policing matches at the JJB Stadium.

Whelan claimed police charges jeopardised his club’s bid to gain promotion to the Premiership.