Ex-Bolton Wanderers boss Colin Todd's memories of Reebok Stadium's first night

Colin Todd needs no reminder of the misfortunate that would strike his Bolton Wanderers side when the curtain was raised on the plush new Reebok Stadium 25 years ago for a game against Everton.

The TV cameras were there to unveil the Whites’ beautiful new home to the watching world, with Todd’s team now back among the elite after their record-breaking final season at Burnden Park.

But the general public mood was one of grief following the sudden death of Princess Diana just a day earlier.

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Flowers were laid by the side of the pitch and a perfectly observed silence held before kick off as hundreds of thousands watched the Reebok’s white arches for the first time through their screens. In the end, though, it was a pair of human eyes some 30 yards from the action that would ultimately ensure the game would be discussed for decades to come.

Wanderers had already suffered some bad luck as record signing Robbie Elliott had to be stretchered off with a broken leg after a collision with Blues defender Tony Thomas.

Todd’s mood deteriorated further, however, when referee Stephen Lodge failed to spot that Gerry Taggart’s header had beaten both Neville Southall and covering defender Terry Phelan to cross the line before being hooked away.

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Long before VAR or Hawkeye, the decision was down to the officials. And despite the raucous appeals from Bolton players, the game played on, and ended goalless.

Fast forward eight months and Wanderers were relegated on goal difference behind, of all teams, Everton. The irony still sticks in Bolton supporters’ craw to this day.

Todd has mellowed slightly in the 25 years since – reflecting on the many drawn games before Christmas and poor form at the start of the New Year before his team started to show they belonged in the top-flight.

“You look back at that result and, of course, it played a part,” he told The Bolton News.

“Getting relegated on 40 points on goal difference? Teams stay in the Premier League on 33 points nowadays. “That kind of thing you can think ‘bad luck’ but I remember thinking we had enough time to fix things.

“We always felt there was enough games to move up the table, and it was only the last 12 or 13 games that we really realised there was a battle on our hands.

“To be fair, we put in some good performances at that point, and in my eyes we deserved to stay up, we deserved it.

“It was the first season at the Reebok and that place deserved Premier League football. Whether you can blame one decision, I don’t know, but I think the team deserved another go.”

Relegation meant some major financial decisions for Bolton, part of which would eventually be a boardroom restructure which would see Eddie Davies assume the seat of power.

Despite a strong start to the 1998/99, Bolton dropped into the play-offs and were beaten by Watford at Wembley. Todd knew that day was the beginning of the end for his time as manager.

“I don’t know how many years I was there – six or seven – and there was always something happening. That play-off game, the last one at Wembley and Watford being our bogey side, we just couldn’t make it happen. It was a bad day.

“We had a board meeting again three days after the final and myself and Gordon (Hargreaves) could smell danger.

“There were a few members of the board – including Phil Gartside, who is not with us any more, God bless him – and Brett Warburton wanted to bring someone else in.

“I didn’t feel it was the right thing because even though we lost that game we had a very good team and I think we would have gone again.

“But me and Gordon spoke about things, the situation didn’t change, and I left about eight games into the new season.

“He stuck around for a bit but they eventually got rid of him too. He was the most influential man at the football club, along with Graham Ball, and they did so much for the club in terms of the Reebok Stadium and the retail park, and it speaks volumes for him.

“You look back now and maybe to change manager was the right decision because Sam came in, was left a very good team, and they missed out in the play-offs, then he changed things a wee bit.

“I just look at my time at that football clubs and I know that I should be highly thought of as a manager and as a person.”

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Todd will be special guest at an anniversary dinner later this month commemorating 25 years since the stadium was built.

Also confirmed are Alan Thompson, Gerry Taggart, Gudni Bergsson, Michael Johansen, Scott Taylor, David Lee, Keith Branagan, Simon Coleman, Mixu Paatelainen, Nathan Blake, Nicky Spooner, Scott Green and John McGinlay.

Many of the players in attendance on the evening were part of that glorious 1996/97 promotion season, as Bolton bid farewell to Burnden in the best possible way.

Todd still counts that era as his most cherished as a manager, even if he still has regrets over a piece of silverware he didn’t manage to claim.

“I still say we should have got to the League Cup final,” he said. “I mean, bloody Wimbledon!

“After doing everything we did that season, I can’t believe we lost that one.

“You say 25 years and I am sitting here reminiscing and it doesn’t seem like five minutes ago. You remember how good it was and how the supporters accepted it.

“Supporters are very knowledgeable down there and they recognise how good that season actually was – the long, long runs we went unbeaten, but also the excitement we gave.

“They are lovely people at Bolton and it is a lovely place to play football as well that stadium. You can’t take it for granted because there are clubs who play higher up who don’t have the facilities that Bolton Wanderers do.

“I just hope they manage to get promotion, get into the Championship, and then take it from there because as we showed, anything is possible.”