http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkfvJp5awJc

It's an increasingly odd experience posting games in sequence from our Div 4 season. The expectation of an immediate promotion then was the same as it was at the start of this season. Even though we finished 3rd, statistically it was the lowest finish we'd ever had in the football league. Just now it appears we are not going reach that bar in 2020/21

This November 2-2 draw at home against Cambridge was part of a poor run of league form punctuated by some cup wins. It meant we'd won 9 drawn 5 and lost 5. Keith Branagan was in goal for Cambridge on this day, four years before signing for us. After the excitement of the Turf Moor double header it was back to the humdrum realities of basement division life.

 

8 hours ago, paulhanley said:

It's an increasingly odd experience posting games in sequence from our Div 4 season. The expectation of an immediate promotion then was the same as it was at the start of this season. Even though we finished 3rd, statistically it was the lowest finish we'd ever had in the football league. Just now it appears we are not going reach that bar in 2020/21

This November 2-2 draw at home against Cambridge was part of a poor run of league form punctuated by some cup wins. It meant we'd won 9 drawn 5 and lost 5. Keith Branagan was in goal for Cambridge on this day, four years before signing for us. After the excitement of the Turf Moor double header it was back to the humdrum realities of basement division life.

 

Cheers Paul , good to know the promotion team let people score free headers too.

J.T certainly seemed on fire at this stage and seemed a class above this devision.  Dave seems cross Ian Steven's didn't feature at all. It looked a proper old fashioned game I think the video equipment they used helps to capture the old feel well.

Edited September 27, 20205 yr by dusan nikolic

Only 2 subs but both were strikers too - can’t imagine too many managers doing that today if it was only 2 subs

38 minutes ago, dusan nikolic said:

Cheers Paul , good to know the promotion team let people score free headers too.

J.T certainly seemed on fire at this stage and seemed a class above this devision.  Dave seems cross Ian Steven's didn't feature at all. It looked a proper old fashioned game I think the video equipment they used helps to capture the old feel well.

Dave had a right bee in his bonnet all that season about Stevens. He remained behind JT, Big Trev and Steve Elliott throughout. 

I'd take Dave Sutton and Mark Came above our current central defence to be blunt! 

I can remember playing Burnley in a night match in 76, they brought a decent mob, but became unstuck under the disused railway bridges on Manny rd after the game.

1 minute ago, leigh white said:

I can remember playing Burnley in a night match in 76, they brought a decent mob, but became unstuck under the disused railway bridges on Manny rd after the game.

Steve Taylor upfront for us?  My unreliable memory says he scored twice. 

27 minutes ago, leigh white said:

I can remember playing Burnley in a night match in 76, they brought a decent mob, but became unstuck under the disused railway bridges on Manny rd after the game.

I think it was 77/78 ... our only home defeat that promotion year. It was a New Year fixture - maybe January 2.

1 hour ago, paulhanley said:

I think it was 77/78 ... our only home defeat that promotion year. It was a New Year fixture - maybe January 2.

This game was Nov 76, we won 2-1, we lost at home the following season.

1 hour ago, RONNIE PHILLIPS said:

Steve Taylor upfront for us?  My unreliable memory says he scored twice. 

Nearly right, Taylor & Reidy.☺️

7 minutes ago, leigh white said:

Nearly right, Taylor & Reidy.☺️

Better than usual 😁

I feel a bit better about posting games from our previous Div 4 season now we've won a game in the current one. Although the point in 87/88 season we've reached actually means this post is an FA Cup tie from early December.

November and the first half of December became charecterised by successes in cup games but poor league results. A win at Burnley in the FA Cup First Round (followed by a Freight Rover win at Stockport) punctuated league defeats at Burnley, a home draw with Cambridge and dispiriting defeats at Colchester and Tranmere.

Amidst all that came a Second Round FA Cup win at The Racecourse, Ground Wrexham. This was of course to be a venue that would go on to become famous among Bolton fans for promotion related reasons in the 87/88 season. The away following on this December day was impressive rather than vast - as was the turnout the following May. Great goal celebrations for the second.

John Thomas scored Bolton's two goals in this 1-2 win. A young debutant called Ian Callaghan made a real impression in midfield but was never really seen or heard of again. 

As was the old fashioned way, the following Monday lunchtime would have seen Bolton fans tuning in to Radio 2 medium wave for the Third Round draw. An away tie at second tier Barnsley was no glamour tie .. but it whetted the appetite of success starved fans enough to ensure another giant turnout in January.

 

Better following than I remember at that

Great memories, cheers Paul.

Just now, jayjayoghani said:

Great memories, cheers Paul.

No worries. Happy days. Sort of.... ! 

41 minutes ago, Biggish Dave said:

Better following than I remember at that

Yes I was surprised. I bet its 2500. Nothing like the May following.... many of whom wouldn;t have been recorded in the gate figure because they bunked in without paying

9 hours ago, paulhanley said:

I feel a bit better about posting games from our previous Div 4 season now we've won a game in the current one. Although the point in 87/88 season we've reached actually means this post is an FA Cup tie from early December.

November and the first half of December became charecterised by successes in cup games but poor league results. A win at Burnley in the FA Cup First Round (followed by a Freight Rover win at Stockport) punctuated league defeats at Burnley, a home draw with Cambridge and dispiriting defeats at Colchester and Tranmere.

Amidst all that came a Second Round FA Cup win at The Racecourse, Ground Wrexham. This was of course to be a venue that would go on to become famous among Bolton fans for promotion related reasons in the 87/88 season. The away following on this December day was impressive rather than vast - as was the turnout the following May. Great goal celebrations for the second.

John Thomas scored Bolton's two goals in this 1-2 win. A young debutant called Ian Callaghan made a real impression in midfield but was never really seen or heard of again. 

As was the old fashioned way, the following Monday lunchtime would have seen Bolton fans tuning in to Radio 2 medium wave for the Third Round draw. An away tie at second tier Barnsley was no glamour tie .. but it whetted the appetite of success starved fans enough to ensure another giant turnout in January.

 

Cheers Paul , J.T having a real prolific time in front of goal , what a great poacher he was . I love seeing the terraces going mad on these videos,  it shows what great away support we had even at this low point in our history.

41 minutes ago, dusan nikolic said:

Cheers Paul , J.T having a real prolific time in front of goal , what a great poacher he was . I love seeing the terraces going mad on these videos,  it shows what great away support we had even at this low point in our history.

It's incredible. I reckon we took the best part of 5,000 to Wrexham on that last day. The gate was 5,900 but at least 500 of ours bunked in that day.

JT had got PNE promoted by being prolific the season before our promotion. He was good enough for Div 3 but a real marksman at Div 4 level.

52 minutes ago, paulhanley said:

It's incredible. I reckon we took the best part of 5,000 to Wrexham on that last day. The gate was 5,900 but at least 500 of ours bunked in that day.

JT had got PNE promoted by being prolific the season before our promotion. He was good enough for Div 3 but a real marksman at Div 4 level.

What do you reckon that stand behind the goal at Wrexham held?

9 hours ago, dusan nikolic said:

What do you reckon that stand behind the goal at Wrexham held?

Maybe 3,500. I think that stand is actually still there! Although its seats in the thin terrace at the front now. In the May game Bolton fans are all down the side terrace too.

Before my time, spotted in Instagram

5 minutes ago, ZicoKelly said:

Before my time, spotted in Instagram

great picture, whats the account on insta called?

4 minutes ago, Mantra said:

great picture, whats the account on insta called?

https://www.instagram.com/p/CGDFt9IJ84x/?igshid=6rl31tr4kl64

 

2 hours ago, ZicoKelly said:

Before my time, spotted in Instagram

No badge on the shirt. Puts it between 1966 and 1975 so looking at the fashions, I’m going 3rd Div Champions under Jimmy Armfield.

It is

York city or brentford

Just went on the Official Youtube channel and sorted it by "Most Popular"

Top video was a POV of goalkeeper training using a GoPro camera.

Second one however was this

November 2013. Our second season in the Championship.

Incredible how shit our team got in such a short space of time. Maybe I'm being harsh but very few of those players were anywhere near Premier League level.

Line up was:

Lonergan
McNaughton
Baptiste
Spearing
Mills
Ream
Lee
Kamara
Beckford
Ngog
Danns

Only Lee, Ream were at a good level considering we'd just spent 11 years in the top flight. Still on parachute payments. How many of those players were on extortionate wages?