Jump to content
Wanderers Ways. Neil Thompson 1961-2021

Division 4 Memories


Marc505

Recommended Posts

  • Site Supporter
3 minutes ago, miamiwhite said:

Was Halifax in the FA Cup during our time in the fourth division?  

We played them so many times in that era I've lost track of it all.

One very poor following that season which stands out in my memory was Carlisle away, not even a few hundred there for that one.

Next season, I imagine the ground will be packed when we turn up. Was there the other week, the locals are eagerly awaiting our visit.

Straight out of the station and straight into the main boozing street.

2 big Wetherspoons without a hundred yards of each other.

That was division 3, I think the season we got relegated

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, miamiwhite said:

 

One very poor following that season which stands out in my memory was Carlisle away, not even a few hundred there for that one.

 

Carlisle in the 4th Division wasn't that bad i would put Bolton's following in the 500 - 700 region.Most memorable about that day was the motorway being closed up in Cumbria and the club coaches not arriving till near half time.Folk were listening to first half commentary on the radio when Bolton went 1-0 up.
 
I attended 14 of Bolton's 23 away games in Div 4 and would say the lowest following of those was at Hartlepool on Boxing Day, doubt as many as 500 were there.
 
Peterboro, Hereford, Exeter - a solid 500 were going to the long distance Saturday afternoon matches.
 
It was a grim season saved by a marvellous final day, I preferred finishing half way in Div 3 the next season.
 
When  Bolton were relegated in 1987 it was a  sporting disaster and embarrassment, there was none of this oooh it will be  a great day out in Scunthorpe shit....Scunthorpe was a midweek trip I didn't attend
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, Roger_Dubuis said:
Carlisle in the 4th Division wasn't that bad i would put Bolton's following in the 500 - 700 region.Most memorable about that day was the motorway being closed up in Cumbria and the club coaches not arriving till near half time.Folk were listening to first half commentary on the radio when Bolton went 1-0 up.
 
I attended 14 of Bolton's 23 away games in Div 4 and would say the lowest following of those was at Hartlepool on Boxing Day, doubt as many as 500 were there.
 
Peterboro, Hereford, Exeter - a solid 500 were going to the long distance Saturday afternoon matches.
 
It was a grim season saved by a marvellous final day, I preferred finishing half way in Div 3 the next season.
 
When  Bolton were relegated in 1987 it was a  sporting disaster and embarrassment, there was none of this oooh it will be  a great day out in Scunthorpe shit....Scunthorpe was a midweek trip I didn't attend

I'd argue the toss and say there wasn't even 200 of us at Newport 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, miamiwhite said:

I'd argue the toss and say there wasn't even 200 of us at Newport 

That was a midweeker didn't do that one, saw the 6-0 at Burnden when they fielded lads with pot bellies and kids.

Went to Newport in 86/87 when it rained very very hard, Wales were playing rugby the same afternoon resulting in an 1100 gate.We went 1-0 up but lost to bottom of the league

Link to comment
Share on other sites

51 minutes ago, Roger_Dubuis said:
Carlisle in the 4th Division wasn't that bad i would put Bolton's following in the 500 - 700 region.Most memorable about that day was the motorway being closed up in Cumbria and the club coaches not arriving till near half time.Folk were listening to first half commentary on the radio when Bolton went 1-0 up.
 
I attended 14 of Bolton's 23 away games in Div 4 and would say the lowest following of those was at Hartlepool on Boxing Day, doubt as many as 500 were there.
 
Peterboro, Hereford, Exeter - a solid 500 were going to the long distance Saturday afternoon matches.
 
It was a grim season saved by a marvellous final day, I preferred finishing half way in Div 3 the next season.
 
When  Bolton were relegated in 1987 it was a  sporting disaster and embarrassment, there was none of this oooh it will be  a great day out in Scunthorpe shit....Scunthorpe was a midweek trip I didn't attend

The Scunthorpe game was that the dodgy penalty last minute? The only time I went to the old show ground. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

24 minutes ago, Mounts Kipper said:

The Scunthorpe game was that the dodgy penalty last minute? The only time I went to the old show ground. 

I think you are right with that Paul Hanley posted the video on here.
 
The away followings at Burnden in Div 4 were mostly shite, Wolves were banned, Cardiff  and Swansea disappointing and then the other sleeping giant Burnley brought over 3,500. Burnley weren't getting that for home games the season before but then crowds shot up when they avoided relegation to the Conference on the final day of the season
 
A good away following that sticks in the mind is Scunthorpe, they had 600 plus at the end of the Burnden Paddock, that was a match with some atmosphere.
 
 
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Roger_Dubuis said:
Carlisle in the 4th Division wasn't that bad i would put Bolton's following in the 500 - 700 region.Most memorable about that day was the motorway being closed up in Cumbria and the club coaches not arriving till near half time.Folk were listening to first half commentary on the radio when Bolton went 1-0 up.

I was on one of the coaches. Someone was so desperate for a piss he was virtually in tears. But it's 3.15 and still  near Penrith, rest of the coach says fuck him, there's a match on and we're late. 

So it was agreed to open the coach doors so he could have a piss at 60mph. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, Roger_Dubuis said:
I think you are right with that Paul Hanley posted the video on here.
 
The away followings at Burnden in Div 4 were mostly shite, Wolves were banned, Cardiff  and Swansea disappointing and then the other sleeping giant Burnley brought over 3,500. Burnley weren't getting that for home games the season before but then crowds shot up when they avoided relegation to the Conference on the final day of the season
 
A good away following that sticks in the mind is Scunthorpe, they had 600 plus at the end of the Burnden Paddock, that was a match with some atmosphere.
 
 

That game at Scunthorpe went mental. They did indeed get and score a dodgy last minute pen to equalise a Trevor Morgan goal. At full time our lot got on the pitch and tried chasing the ref but the OB were ready for hit and had the horses on to get angry BWFC fans back in the terrace. The video cuts out before you see how it finally developed. Dave Higson was calling the ref every name under the sun on the vid.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Site Supporter
1 hour ago, snowball said:

I went Hartlepool on the boxing day all i can remember is sheltering behind a portakabin from the wind. Happy days 

Did that a few times at the old Roker Park. I don't think I've been as cold in my life and that includes a trip to Iceland!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We went to 13 aways..some one had a CAMRA real ale guide and we picked a pub in each town before hand..remember going in carlisles end and some of their fans snitched on us and we got escorted to the away end..so much for the border crew or was it casuals haha

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’ve been stuck in a hole while bored in the office this week, looking up seasons around this era on Wikipedia. 

Diary of the 89/90 season:-

21 May 1990 – 34 Bolton Wanderers hooligans who were convicted of taking part in attacks on police officers and rival supporters are banned from travelling to Italy for the duration of the World Cup by the Italian government.”

What was all this about? Must be some on here involved?!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Site Supporter
1 hour ago, BWFC_LOVE said:

I’ve been stuck in a hole while bored in the office this week, looking up seasons around this era on Wikipedia. 

Diary of the 89/90 season:-

21 May 1990 – 34 Bolton Wanderers hooligans who were convicted of taking part in attacks on police officers and rival supporters are banned from travelling to Italy for the duration of the World Cup by the Italian government.”

What was all this about? Must be some on here involved?!

A national news headline story on the BBC at the time iirc 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, BWFC_LOVE said:

I’ve been stuck in a hole while bored in the office this week, looking up seasons around this era on Wikipedia. 

Diary of the 89/90 season:-

21 May 1990 – 34 Bolton Wanderers hooligans who were convicted of taking part in attacks on police officers and rival supporters are banned from travelling to Italy for the duration of the World Cup by the Italian government.”

What was all this about? Must be some on here involved?!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My memory of that season will always be the picture in the BEN after Burnley away  (either the League or FA cup game that year) of 3 police panda cars turned upside down on their roof

Casual violence it was the norm then. Scary times looking back

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I went to more aways than home games that season. The atmosphere at Burnden was shite but away it was an absolute riot (often quite literally

Apart from Wrexham the games that stick in the memory are Barnsley in the cup, an absolutely freezing 0-0 at Halifax as mentioned above (iirc the Saturday game was postponed due to fog and rearranged on a miserable midweek night), a horrendous loss at Colchester and beating Stockport away

Probably only went to about 4 home games. Remember Wolves and Burnden being deserted and I prob went at Xmas but no memory of other home games

Link to comment
Share on other sites

another memory - on the way back from Stockport  - huge Bolton mob/regular fans  (500 plus) walking across Manchester from Piccadillly to Victoria singing Munich songs on a Friday night. The Friday night partygoers on Piccadilly didn't want to know.That would be before the Windsor link across Manchester.
 
 
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love that Where Are They Now article, Gary Henshaw saying we took 8 or 9,000!  There was only about 6,000 on in total.  I honestly think we would have taken more if we'd known we might go up.  I was going to that game genuinely looking forward to the novelty of the play offs, never thought for a minute Torquay would lose at home.  If we'd expected promotion, we'd have taken far more.  And those were the days when tickets werent a thing, everyone just turned up on the day, queued and paid cash.  If the away end was full, tough.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.