Owen Coyle has recalled being left out of the 1995 League Cup final against Liverpool – and revealed that a conversation with John McGinlay helped get his Bolton career back on track.

Coyle had featured for the Whites in the previous rounds but didn’t make Bruce Rioch’s squad for the Wembley final, with new signing Gudni Bergsson getting the nod instead.

The Scot received the news from Colin Todd ahead of the highly anticipated fixture, and he admits it was tough to take.

But McGinlay convinced Coyle to “put on a brave face” and support his team-mates as Wanderers came up just short despite a stunning strike from Alan Thompson.

“I stormed away and kicked a ball as high as I could,” Coyle told Fore Four 2 Podcast. “I went to the shower and when I came out, I thought, ‘I’m not going to the final’.

“By that time, John had just come back in. He asked if I was okay and I said, ‘It’s bang out of order. I’ve got half a mind to (miss the game)’.

“But he said, ‘You wouldn’t do that. At the end of the day, it wasn’t the boys who picked the team’. He was right, 100 per cent.

“We were good pals and he knew what buttons to press. He knew how much I cared for the boys. I decided to put on my suit and tie, put on a smile and be there for the boys.

“I confided in him but for the others, I put on a brave face. The boys lost 2-1, Tommo scored the wonder goal but Steve McManaman was unplayable that day.”

Coyle went on to regain his place in the side and played a key role in the play-off final against Reading at the end of the season.

The forward was on target as the Whites recorded a memorable 4-3 victory and insists it was one of the highlights of his playing career.

“From that moment, I went into the team and started every game through to the play-off final, which was probably one of the best days I ever had as a player – playing at Wembley and coming from 2-0 down,” he continued.

“To score at Wembley, that is a childhood dream. So sometimes you have to have that mental strength to get on with it, and that is what we have all got to do.”