WHEN Aaron Wilbraham snatched a point for Wanderers at Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday he became the club’s oldest post-war goal-scorer.
At 38 years and 328 days, the former Bristol City striker chose the perfect time to grab his first goal for Bolton – inadvertently adding his name to an eclectic bunch of senior scorers from the club’s rich history.
Research from BWFCstats.com suggests only Ted Vizard, the Welsh wizard who was dazzling [crowds at Burnden Park 100 years ago, has scored a goal for the club at a greater age.
Here we run the rule over the top 10 golden oldies who have scored for Wanderers in competitive fixtures.
Ted Vizard: 39yrs 328 days
A Wales international outside left who played for Wanderers for an incredible 21 years, spanning between 1910 and 1931.
Vizard – known more as a maker of goals - formed a prolific partnership with the great Joe Smith and was a member of the victorious 1923 and 1926 FA Cup winning teams. He scored his final goal against Bury in 1929.
Aaron Wilbraham: 38yrs 140
days The big striker had been through the mill at Bolton for three-quarters of his first season, struggling for form and fitness. But after Gary Madine was sold on to Cardiff City in a £6million deal he found himself taking a bigger role in Phil Parkinson’s attack, scoring a vital equaliser at Sheffield Wednesday to take his place in the record books.
Emile Heskey: 38yrs 30 days
A former England international brought in by Neil Lennon after a spell playing in Australia to add some muscle in attack, Heskey made an immediate impact scoring against Blackburn Rovers on Boxing Day 2014. Despite coming to the end of his career he soldiered on until the end of the 2015/16 season, when soon after being released by Bolton he retired from the game.
Gary Speed: 37yrs 351 days
Midfielder brought to Bolton by Sam Allardyce in the twilight of his career but proved a massive part of the club’s success in the Premier League era. Made 140 appearances and scored 19 goals for Wanderers, the last of which came against Reading in 2007 – Sammy Lee’s only league win as manager.
Les Ferdinand: 37yrs 324 days
Another ex-England striker added to the Bolton ranks late in his career, Ferdinand’s crowning moment of a brief time at the club was a goal in a 2-2 draw against Manchester United in September 2004. He did score again, netting the fourth in a 4-3 defeat against his old club Tottenham in the League Cup the following month.
Gudni Bergsson: 37yrs 191 days
Hugely popular Icelandic defender regarded as one of Wanderers’ modern day greats. Signed by Bruce Rioch for just £75,000 from Tottenham, he made a debut in the 1995 League Cup final against Liverpool and went back to Wembley later that year to help the Whites into the Premier League for the first time with victory over Reading.
Bergsson would help Bolton back into the top flight twice more in 1997 and 2001. He then helped them secure safety in his final season, scoring his last goal in a 2-1 defeat at home to Everton.
Joe Smith: 37yrs 186 days (pictured front row, second from right)
One of Wanderers’ most prolific strikers, Smith is second only to Nat Lofthouse in the club’s all-time scoring list.
An England international, he captained Wanderers to victory in the 1923 and 1926 FA Cup finals and scored a massive 277 goals for the club in 492 appearances between 1909 and 1927.
His last goal came in a 3-2 defeat against Liverpool in December 1926.
Fernando Hierro: 36yrs 263 days
A renowned European star with Real Madrid for the vast majority of his career, Hierro was convinced by Sam Allardyce to make a one-season swansong in the Premier League after a short stay in the Middle East. Although it took time for him to win a regular spot, the classy Spaniard easily won over supporters and scored his one-and-a-only goal against Norwich City in December 2004.
Peter Beardsley: 36yrs 252 days
Brought in by Colin Todd to add some top-flight experience in 1997, the former England international, signed in an unprecedented blaze of publicity, never quite lived up to his billing.
Beardsley had cost £500,000 from Newcastle United, where he had formed a deadly partnership with Andy Cole. His time at Bolton had few highlights, however, and he scored just twice, once against Barnsley and his last in a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace.
Eidur Gudjohnsen: 36yrs 203 days
Gudjohnsen effectively kicked-off his glittering career at Bolton, fighting back from a serious injury as a teenager to earn a £4million move to Chelsea in 2000. He won Champions League, Premier League and La Liga titles with the Blues, Barcelona and more but returned to Wanderers under Neil Lennon in 2014, linking up with another golden oldie, Emile Heskey, to try and earn a spot in Iceland’s European Championship squad.
His last goal came against Cardiff City in April 2015 – a game which stood as the club’s last away win in the Championship for more than two years.
Gudjohnsen made the Euros but was badly let down by the Wanderers hierarchy, who had promised him an extended contract before falling into financial problems.
* Clarification: David Stokes, who represented Bolton Wanderers between 1901 and 1920, is believed to have been 39 years old when he scored the last of his 46 goals for the club in a 3-3 draw at Everton in November 1919. The club has no record of how many days past his 39th birthday he actually was!
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