Express & Star

In Pictures: Bolton’s journey over 145 years

The Trotters are facing a battle to survive after the English Football League lifted the suspension on the club’s notice of withdrawal.

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Bolton’s 145-year history is hanging in the balance after the English Football League lifted the suspension on the club’s notice of withdrawal.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at Wanderers’ history in pictures.

1923 FA Cup final
Fans congregate on the pitch at the 1923 FA Cup final at Wembley, where Bolton beat West Ham 2-0 to lift the trophy for the first time (PA Archive)
Bolton also won the FA Cup final in 1926
Bolton also won the FA Cup in 1926, beating Manchester City 1-0 in the final at Wembley (PA Archive)
Soccer – FA Cup Final – Bolton Wanderers v Manchester United – Wembley Stadium
Bolton captain Nat Lofthouse holds aloft the FA Cup following their 2-0 win over Manchester United at Wembley in 1958 – the last of Wanderers’ four FA Cup triumphs (PA Archive)
Nat Lofthouse
Bolton great Lofthouse scored 255 goals for his hometown club between 1946 and 1960. He also netted 30 times in 33 appearances for England (PA Archive)
Soccer – Bolton Wanderers Photocall – Burnden Park
Bolton celebrate winning the FA Cup and the Charity Shield in 1958 (PA Archive)
Soccer – Sherpa Van Trophy Final – Bolton Wanderers v Torquay United – Wembley
Bolton added the Sherpa Van Trophy (Football League Trophy) to their silverware collection in 1989 after beating Torquay 4-1 in the final (PA Archive)
Soccer – FA Cup – Fourth Round Reply – Arsenal v Bolton Wanderers – Highbury
Bolton established a reputation as FA Cup giantkillers in the mid-1990s, knocking out several top-flight teams, including holders Arsenal in a fourth-round replay (above) at Highbury in 1994 (John Giles/PA)
Bolton auction
Bolton held an auction at their Burnden Park ground ahead of the move to their new stadium in 1997 (Dave Kendall/PA)
Burnden Park
Burnden Park had been Bolton’s home for over 100 years (PA Archive)
Reebok Stadium
Bolton moved to the Reebok Stadium – now known as the University of Bolton Stadium – in 1997 (Dave Howarth/PA)
Bolton celebrating
After several seasons bouncing between the top two divisions, Bolton beat Preston in the 2001 Division One play-off final to win promotion back to the Premiership – where they would stay for the next 11 seasons (Tom Hevezi/PA)
Bolton manager Sam Allardyce
Bolton manager Sam Allardyce celebrates Premiership survival in 2003, when Wanderers finished one place and two points above the drop zone (PA Archive)
Jay-Jay Okocha
Bolton, boasting the international talents such as Jay-Jay Okocha (pictured), Youri Djorkaeff and Ivan Campo, reached the 2004 Carling Cup final but were beaten 2-1 by Middlesbrough (Nick Potts/PA)
 Allianz Arena
Bolton faced the likes of Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid en route to reaching the last 16 of the 2007/08 UEFA Cup, where they lost to Sporting Lisbon (Nick Potts/PA)
Bolton
Bolton reached the semi-finals of the 2011 FA Cup but were beaten 5-0 by Stoke (Nick Potts/PA)
Bolton
Bolton were relegated from the Premier League in 2012 and dropped down to League One in 2016 (Dave Howarth/PA)
Bolton
Bolton were promoted back to the Championship at the first attempt in 2017 but lasted only two seasons back in the second tier before suffering relegation again (Barrington Coombs/PA)
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton have been beset by financial problems in recent years (Martin Rickett/PA)
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