If you are anything like me there is a little list of pretty significant games in the history of the club for which you were present but which for whatever reason you cannot wholly remember. Yet here we are on a forum full of people with long memories, people who will remember different events/angles/slants on a day having been of a different age/not had several pints beforehand or simply just have better recollection. I am going to start the ball rolling with a game of my own but invite others to follow with matches from the past that they saw but would like to have their memories supplemented.

9 September 1978 was the first Bolton Wanderers top flight win for fourteen years. After a memorable promotion under Ian Greaves we had not won any of our first four matches (W0 D2 L2)  including shipping an excruciating late equaliser in a 2-2 home draw v Birmingham the previous week. On this day we were losing 0-1 at home to Derby but eventually won 2-1 with two late goals from Alan Gowling. All I can remember (sitting as a kid in the Manny Road North with family) was Gowling wheeling away in celebration in front of the Lever End. I remember the feeling of excitement and relief afterwards that we had finally picked up two points (not three in those days!). 

Anyone remember more?

...And does anybody else want help from fellow fans with filling the gaps on a game from the past?

12 minutes ago, Alf Hartigan said:

When was the game at Blackburn when we scored and a young lad came out the home end and ran down the touchline into our end waving a Wanderers flag on a pole and properly winding up their lot. Tickled me did that. Remember a Blackburn fan outside our end after the game singing Blackburn songs due to them winning in the end. I smacked him in the chops and I don't usually get involved in stuff like that.

2005 I think. In the riverside 

2 hours ago, paulhanley said:

I think you are getting two games mixed up gents. I am on about 3-1 to them in 95/6, you are on about 3-1 to them in 97/8, the one when Thommo got the red. 

Yeah I went to the game in 95/96. Shearer was immense. Completely dominated Stubbs. Pinging crosses in from both sides and Shearer won everything.  

I felt sure there were a few newspaper articles online about hundreds of Bolton fans having tickets in the Blackburn end for the 95/96 game but can’t find anything now 

16 hours ago, paulhanley said:

I think you are getting two games mixed up gents. I am on about 3-1 to them in 95/6, you are on about 3-1 to them in 97/8, the one when Thommo got the red. 

Very much in keeping with the subject of the thread 

 

18 hours ago, Take Hunt Off said:

Shearer & Sutton we’re in the refs ear the whole game & he certainly accommodated them , just remembering how spineless the refs were in the Prem back then.

That's my main memory of it.  I remember being impressed at how good, and snidey, Shearer was. Him pushing Chris Fairclough in the back and scoring, just as he was about to clear the danger.

Ref let him get away with stuff all day, then booked him late on for sommat daft like time wasting.

I have some vague memories of Wigan away, Easter 1986. I seem to remember they did something really stupid, making it all ticket in the Bolton end but not the Wigan end. The consequence being there were huge numbers of Bolton in their end. Who makes stupid decisions like that? I think our away record was poor and their home record was decent. If my memory is right, it was Mark Gavin’s debut and he scored and had a cracking game. 

4 hours ago, Dennis Peacock said:

I have some vague memories of Wigan away, Easter 1986. I seem to remember they did something really stupid, making it all ticket in the Bolton end but not the Wigan end. The consequence being there were huge numbers of Bolton in their end. Who makes stupid decisions like that? I think our away record was poor and their home record was decent. If my memory is right, it was Mark Gavin’s debut and he scored and had a cracking game. 

 

 

7 hours ago, Dennis Peacock said:

I have some vague memories of Wigan away, Easter 1986. I seem to remember they did something really stupid, making it all ticket in the Bolton end but not the Wigan end. The consequence being there were huge numbers of Bolton in their end. Who makes stupid decisions like that? I think our away record was poor and their home record was decent. If my memory is right, it was Mark Gavin’s debut and he scored and had a cracking game. 

Yes, what a debut that was, I always thought Gavin was a great signing considering he was either a free or very cheap.  Provided some old fashioned wing play and entertainment in a generally poor team.

To be fair, as the video shows, there were only a few hundred at most in their end but your memory of the ticket situation would explain why there were even that many when the away end was far from full.

Plovdiv

On 05/03/2026 at 17:18, Take Hunt Off said:

Was that the game Thommo got sent off for actually missing Blackburn full back Kenny ? with a sliding tackle . I was actually in the Blackburn paddock when Thommo nearly joined us due to momentum.

Shearer & Sutton we’re in the refs ear the whole game & he certainly accommodated them , just remembering how spineless the refs were in the Prem back then.

Those two up front for them were magnificent that day.

Yes they knew how to get at the ref, but they knew how to play too.

Good partnership.

Cunts.

Various UEFA Cup games. Can't recall us playing either Braga or Sevilla

On 04/03/2026 at 16:35, freds dad said:

We lost 3-5 to Burnley at home in 1960. Could that be it?

Gets a thumbs up from me.

Mine is the 1-1 draw at Blackpool when Alan Waldrons foot was modified to face backwards instead of forwards.

I'd developed a liking for Colt 45 and one of the boozers on the sea front had it on tap. Remember very little apart from the Waldron incident and celebrating our 'winner' which turned out to be an equaliser 

I'm not sure I can properly remember any game after Preston at home when Super John scored that penalty. 

Rave culture took over and now my brain has the short term memory of a goldfish!

Do you remember that game we won 1-0 v Preston when John McGinlay scored from the spot?

That's probably the last game I remember in full. It was after that I started doing drugs and it's completely shot my shirt term memory!

9 hours ago, bolty58 said:

Mine is the 1-1 draw at Blackpool when Alan Waldrons foot was modified to face backwards instead of forwards.

I'd developed a liking for Colt 45 and one of the boozers on the sea front had it on tap. Remember very little apart from the Waldron incident and celebrating our 'winner' which turned out to be an equaliser 

Alan Waldron broke his leg in the Kevin Olsson game. A 1-2 defeat.

https://jimmysirrelslovechild.co.uk/home/programmes/the-bigger-picture/blackpool-1974

9 hours ago, kent_white said:

I'm not sure I can properly remember any game after Preston at home when Super John scored that penalty. 

Rave culture took over and now my brain has the short term memory of a goldfish!

Those where the days!

2 minutes ago, woolli said:

Those where the days!

🤣🤣 - they were. Although these days I value 8 hours sleep above a pounding rhythm, a universal sense of togetherness and harmony, pushing my brain to new psychological, psychedelic emotional highs and free love 😁

 

41 minutes ago, kent_white said:

🤣🤣 - they were. Although these days I value 8 hours sleep above a pounding rhythm, a universal sense of togetherness and harmony, pushing my brain to new psychological, psychedelic emotional highs and free love 😁

 

Wigan Pier every Friday!

10 hours ago, Duck Egg said:

Alan Waldron broke his leg in the Kevin Olsson game. A 1-2 defeat.

https://jimmysirrelslovechild.co.uk/home/programmes/the-bigger-picture/blackpool-1974

See. I told you I couldn't remember much about that game.

Remember the commotion and difficulty getting home.

1 hour ago, bolty58 said:

See. I told you I couldn't remember much about that game.

Remember the commotion and difficulty getting home.

As someone who was there and a regular at the time, I wonder if you could confirm or deny a story I read recently?

A Wanderers fan on Twitter said that KO had taken a knife to that game and was waving it at our lot, before being disarmed and killed with the same knife.  I'd never heard that version before.

2 hours ago, Duck Egg said:

As someone who was there and a regular at the time, I wonder if you could confirm or deny a story I read recently?

A Wanderers fan on Twitter said that KO had taken a knife to that game and was waving it at our lot, before being disarmed and killed with the same knife.  I'd never heard that version before.

All I can tell you is that one of his best mates Trev (tells me he caught KO as he fell) is in the scooter club in Perth. Discussed that day a few times. KO was definitely looking for it ("was no angel") but has never mentioned him being armed with anything so I can't confirm or deny.

Right here is another one. All I really remember about this one is being very upset for a good few days after the game.

Towards the end of 84/5 we started dreaming of Wembley having got to the Northern Semi Final of the Freight Rover. For weeks beforehand, chants of "We're all on the march with Charlie's army, we're all going to Wembley" had swirled around Burnden and various away ends on our travels. 

We had drawn Mansfield at home, at the time a Div 4 side and thus in the league below us. However they had Ian Greaves as their manager and I think they also had Neil Whamore in the side.

Anyway we lost 1-2 and it was a massive let down. As for the game itself I remember virtually nothing. Any memories? I think we scored first?

No memories whatsoever. 

I have none of Darlington neither.

Unlike 50,000 others.

3 hours ago, paulhanley said:

Right here is another one. All I really remember about this one is being very upset for a good few days after the game.

Towards the end of 84/5 we started dreaming of Wembley having got to the Northern Semi Final of the Freight Rover. For weeks beforehand, chants of "We're all on the march with Charlie's army, we're all going to Wembley" had swirled around Burnden and various away ends on our travels. 

We had drawn Mansfield at home, at the time a Div 4 side and thus in the league below us. However they had Ian Greaves as their manager and I think they also had Neil Whamore in the side.

Anyway we lost 1-2 and it was a massive let down. As for the game itself I remember virtually nothing. Any memories? I think we scored first?

They'd done the area semi final and final draws at the same time. If we beat Mansfield we had a home tie in the final against the winners of Wigan & someone else. "Bolton home in on Wembley" was the BEN headline.

Little memory of the match apart from getting in as under 16, us taking the lead, then losing. Dave Caldwell scored at least one of theirs. He always seemed to score against us in those days.