This week's look through the Bolton News archives. 

2006: Sam Allardyce announced he would not speak to BBC Radio Five Live in a furious response to his Bolton team being labelled “ugly” by controversial commentator Alan Green.

The unprecedented boycott followed Green’s on-air comments during Wanderers’ 2-2 draw with Liverpool at the Reebok in which he launched a scathing attack on Big Sam’s playing style.

The criticism provoked a wave of protests from Wanderers fans, including letters to the Bolton Evening News. Many called for Bolton supporters to boycott Green’s

commentaries, and Allardyce endorsed the stance when he said he was withdrawing cooperation with Five Live – a

move he was confident would be supported by his chairman Phil Gartside.

“I know what the public outcry had been,” he said. “I will not be speaking to Five Live and I’m sure the chairman will back me 100 per cent.”

1986: Arctic weather conditions decimated the sporting calendar, forcing the postponement of a raft of FA Cup third-round ties.

Wanderers, already out of the cup, had a free weekend but still managed to get some action in – courtesy of the Burnden Park undersoil heating.

Manager Phil Neal, desperate to get some valuable game time for first-team squad players who were coming back from injuries, switched an A team fixture against Stockport from the nearby Greyhound Stadium to Burnden and gave run-outs to the likes of Sam Allardyce and Jimmy Phillips.

The match ended 1-1 with George Oghani and Wayne Entwistle arguing over who scored.

1970: It was not just the winter snap that left Wanderers supporters feeling the chill as a new year dawned.

Nat Lofthouse hoped his new signing, World Cup winner Roger Hunt, would inspire a heartwarming run in the FA Cup, but the former Liverpool and England striker hardly had a kick 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.

1963: The new year kicked off with sport in the grip of a snow-ravaged winter with football fans all over the country on weather watch. And Bolton supporters were no exception.

They were holding back on committing themselves to buying tickets and making travel arrangements for the FA Cup third-round tie at Sheffield United, where the Bramall Lane pitch already had a two-inch layer of snow at the start of the week with more forecast.

Two special trains were on standby to take up to 800 Bolton fans across the Pennines, but with just 48 hours to go to the all-Division One clash, only 55 seats had been booked and only the most optimistic had bought match tickets.

The match, predictably, was postponed and was played two months later.