List of Bolton Wanderers F.C. records and statistics

Bolton Wanderers F.C. is an English professional association football club based in Horwich, Bolton. The club was founded as Christ Church F.C. in 1874, making them one of the oldest football clubs in England, and turned professional in 1877, before joining the Football League as founder members in 1888. Bolton Wanderers currently play in English Football League, the third tier of English football. They were relegated from the top tier (where they had been since 2001) in 2012 but in their time as a professional club have played in all four professional English leagues.

This list encompasses the major honours won by Bolton Wanderers and records set by the club, their managers and their players. The player records section includes details of the club's leading goalscorers and those who have made most appearances in first-team competitions. It also records notable achievements by Bolton Wanderers players on the international stage, and the highest transfer fees paid and received by the club. The club's attendance records, both at The Reebok Stadium, their home since 1997, and Burnden Park, their home between 1895 and 1997, are also included in the list.

The club have won the FA Cup four times, but not since 1958,[1] and have spent the majority of their history in the top flight of English football. Bolton also hold the record for the most years in the top flight of English football without winning the title; 73 years in total. The club's record appearance maker is Eddie Hopkinson, who made 578 appearances between his debut in 1952 and retirement in 1970, and the club's record goalscorer is Nat Lofthouse, who scored 285 goals in 503 games between 1946 and 1960.

All stats accurate as of end of 2018–19 season.

Honours and achievements

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League

Cup

Reserves and others

Players

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All current players are in bold

Appearances

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  • Youngest first-team player: Ray Parry 15 years 267 days (v. Wolves, 13 October 1951).
  • Oldest first-team player: Peter Shilton 45 years 239 days (v. Wolves, 15 May 1995).
  • Most consecutive League appearances: 161Jim McDonagh, 2 October 1976 – 3 May 1980[2]

Most appearances

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Competitive matches only.

# Name Career Appearances
1   Eddie Hopkinson 1952–1970 578
2   Roy Greaves 1965–1980 575
3   Alex Finney 1922–1937 530
3   Jussi Jääskeläinen 1997–2012 530
5   Warwick Rimmer 1960–1975 528
6   Bryan Edwards 1947–1965 518
7   Ted Vizard 1910–1931 512
8   Paul Jones 1970–1983 506
9   Nat Lofthouse 1946–1960 503
10   Roy Hartle 1952–1966 499

Goalscorers

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Top goalscorers

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Competitive matches only.

# Name Years Total
1   Nat Lofthouse 1946–1960 285
2   Joe Smith 1908–1927 277
3   David Jack 1920–1928 161
4   Jack Milsom 1929–1937 153
5   Ray Westwood 1928–1947 144
6   Willie Moir 1945–1955 134
7   John Byrom 1966–1976 130
8   Harold Blackmore 1927–1932 122
9   Neil Whatmore 1973–1981
1982–1983
1983–1984
1987–1988
121
10   John McGinlay 1992–1997 118

International

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  • Most capped player: Ricardo Gardner, 72 caps for Jamaica as a Bolton Wanderers player. 37 of his (then) 109 caps coming in 1997 and 1998 prior to signing with Bolton. He made three more after leaving in 2012.
  • First player to play in a World Cup: Nat Lofthouse for England against Belgium on 17 June 1954.
  • First player to score in a World Cup: Nat Lofthouse against Belgium on 17 June 1954.
  • Most World Cup goals: Nat Lofthouse, 3 (1958).

World Cup participants

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This section lists all players who have played in a World Cup Finals game whilst playing for Bolton Wanderers F.C.

Name Nationality World Cup
Nat Lofthouse   England 1954
Eddie Hopkinson   England 1958
Tommy Banks   England 1958
Jason McAteer   Ireland 1994
Per Frandsen   Denmark 1998
Mark Fish   South Africa 1998
Stig Tøfting   Denmark 2002
Youri Djorkaeff   France 2002
Jared Borgetti   Mexico 2006
Radhi Jaïdi   Tunisia 2006
Hidetoshi Nakata   Japan 2006
Lee Chung-Yong   South Korea 2010
2014
Danny Shittu   Nigeria 2010
Vladimír Weiss   Slovakia 2010
Stuart Holden   United States 2010

European Championship participants

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This section lists all players who have played in a European Championship Finals game whilst playing for Bolton Wanderers F.C.

Name Nationality Euros
Stelios Giannakopoulos   Greece 2004
2008

Record transfer fees

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Bolton's record signing Johan Elmander.
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Bolton Wanderers's record signing is Johan Elmander, who signed for the club from Toulouse for £8.2 million in June 2008. The transfer also included Daniel Braaten, with that reportedly making the transfer worth 11m. This beat the previous record of £8.0 million, which the club paid Fenerbahce for Nicolas Anelka in 2006.

# Name Fee From Date Notes
1   Johan Elmander £8.2m (+player)[a]   Toulouse June 2008 [5]
2   Nicolas Anelka £8.0m   Fenerbahçe August 2006 [6]
3=   Gary Cahill £5.0m   Aston Villa January 2008 [7]
3=   Fabrice Muamba £5.0m   Birmingham City June 2008 [8]
5=   El Hadji Diouf £4.0m   Liverpool June 2005 [9]
5=   David Ngog £4.0m   Liverpool August 2011 [10]
7=   Grétar Steinsson £3.5m   AZ Alkmaar January 2008 [11]
7=   Dean Holdsworth £3.5m   Wimbledon October 1997 [12]
7=   Matthew Taylor £3.5m   Portsmouth January 2008 [13]
  1. ^ The transfer also included Daniel Braaten, with it reported to have made the overall transfer equal to 11m.[4]

Progression of record fee paid

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The club's first £1,000 transfer came in 1911, when they signed Alf Bentley from Derby County. They made their first £100,000 signing in 1978 with the transfer of Alan Gowling from Newcastle United for £120,000 and their first £1,000,000 transfer when they signed Gerry Taggart from Barnsley in 1995.

Date Player Bought from Fee
1911   Alf Bentley Derby County £1,000
1920   David Jack Plymouth Argyle £3,500
1921   Dick Pym Exeter City £5,000
1928   Jack McClelland Middlesbrough £6,800
1948   Jim Hernon Leicester City £14,850
1951   Harold Hassall Huddersfield Town £27,000
1967   Gareth Williams Cardiff City £50,000
1967   Terry Wharton Wolverhampton Wanderers £70,000
1977   Frank Worthington Leicester City £90,000
1978   Alan Gowling Newcastle United £120,000
1978   Neil McNab Tottenham Hotspur £250,000
1979   Len Cantello West Bromwich Albion £350,000
1994   Fabian de Freitas FC Volendam £400,000
1995   Chris Fairclough Leeds United £500,000
1995   Gerry Taggart Barnsley £1,500,000
1997   Robbie Elliott Newcastle United £2,500,000
1997   Dean Holdsworth Wimbledon £3,500,000
2005   El Hadji Diouf Liverpool £4,000,000
2006   Nicolas Anelka Fenerbahçe £8,000,000
2008   Johan Elmander Toulouse £8,250,000 (+player)[a]

Received

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The largest fee that Bolton Wanderers have received for one of their players was the £15million that Chelsea paid for the services of Nicolas Anelka during the transfer window of January 2008. Four years later, Bolton received their second largest transfer fee, also from Chelsea, for defender Gary Cahill.

# Name Fee From Date Notes
1   Nicolas Anelka £15.0m Chelsea January 2008 [15]
2   Gary Cahill £7.0m Chelsea January 2012 [16]
3   Gary Madine £6.0m Cardiff City January 2018 [17]
4=   Jason McAteer £4.5m Liverpool September 1995 [18]
4=   Alan Thompson £4.5m Aston Villa June 1998 [19]
6   Nathan Blake £4.25m Blackburn Rovers October 1998 [20]
7=   Saša Ćurčić £4.0m Aston Villa August 1996 [21]
7=   Claus Jensen £4.0m Charlton Athletic July 2000 [22]
7=   Eiður Guðjohnsen £4.0m Chelsea July 2000 [23]
7=   Kevin Nolan £4.0m Newcastle United January 2009 [24]
7=   Ali Al-Habsi £4.0m Wigan Athletic July 2011 [25]

Club records

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League Highs and Lows

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Matches

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Record wins

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  • Record League home win: 8–0 (v. Barnsley, 6 October 1934).
  • Record League away win: 7–1 (v. Aston Villa, 26 December 1914).
  • Record FA Cup home win: 13–0 (v. Sheffield United second round, 1 February 1890).
  • Record FA Cup away win: 5–1 (v. Charlton Athletic third round, 14 January 1933).
  • Record League Cup home win: 6–1 (v. Tottenham Hotspur fourth round, 27 November 1996).
  • Record League Cup away win: 4–0 (v. Rochdale second round, 10 October 1973).
  • Record Premier League home win: 5–0 (v. Stoke City, 6 November 2011.
  • Record Premier League away win: 5–0 (v. Leicester City, 18 August 2001).

Record defeats

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  • Record League home defeat:
  • Record League away defeat:
  • Record FA Cup home defeat:
  • Record FA Cup away defeat: 1–9 (v. Preston North End, Round Two, 10 December 1887).
  • Record League Cup home defeat: 0–6 (v. Chelsea, Round Four replay, 8 November 1971).
  • Record League Cup away defeat: 0–6 (v. Tottenham Hotspur, Round Five, 11 December 2001).
  • Record Premier League home defeat: 0–6 (v. Manchester United, 25 February 1996).
  • Record Premier League away defeat: 2–6 (v. Manchester City, 18 October 2003).
  • Record loss at Wembley: 0–5 (v. Stoke City, 17 April 2011).

Record draws

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  • Highest scoring League draw:
  • Highest scoring FA Cup draw: 5–5 (v. Eagley, Round One, 22 October 1881).
  • Highest scoring League Cup draw: 4–4 after extra time (v. Oldham Athletic, Round One, Second Leg, 4 September 1984).
  • Highest scoring Premier League draw:

Most Consecutive

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Attendances

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Bolton Wanderers in Europe

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Below is Bolton Wanderers' record in Europe. As of 2008 they have appeared in the UEFA Cup twice, losing only two games in the process.

Bolton Wanderers in Europe
Season Competition Round Country Club Home Away Aggregate
2005–06 UEFA Cup First round   Lokomotiv Plovdiv 2–1 2–1 4–2
Group H   Sevilla 1–1 3rd
  Zenit Saint Petersburg 1–0
  Beşiktaş 1–1
  Vitória de Guimarães 1–1
Round of 32   Marseille 0–0 1–2 1–2
2007–08 UEFA Cup First round   Rabotnički 1–0 1–1 2–1
Group F   Bayern Munich 2–2 3rd
  Braga 1–1
  Aris 1–1
  Red Star Belgrade 1–0
Round of 32   Atlético Madrid 1–0 0–0 1–0
Round of 16   Sporting CP 1–1 0–1 1–2

Notes

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  1. ^ The transfer also included Daniel Braaten, with it reported to have made the overall transfer equal to 11m.[14]

References

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  1. ^ "Cup Final Statistics". The Football Association. 19 May 2007. Retrieved 30 June 2008.
  2. ^ Hayes, Dean. (30 June 2009). Bolton Wanderers Miscellany (1st ed.). Brighton: Pitch Publishing. p. 22. ISBN 978-1-905411-21-4.
  3. ^ Hayes, Dean. (30 June 2009). Bolton Wanderers Miscellany (1st ed.). Brighton: Pitch Publishing. p. 142. ISBN 978-1-905411-21-4.
  4. ^ Bolton break transfer record with £11m Elmander deal
  5. ^ Stadium, Jamie Jackson at Reebok (22 November 2010). "Johan Elmander becomes Bolton Wanderers' most dangerous man". The Guardian.
  6. ^ "Bolton sign Anelka in record deal". BBC. 25 August 2006. Retrieved 29 July 2008.
  7. ^ "Bolton complete £5m Cahill switch". BBC. 30 January 2008. Retrieved 29 July 2008.
  8. ^ "Bolton splash out £5m on Muamba". BBC. 16 June 2000. Retrieved 29 July 2008.
  9. ^ "Bolton complete signing of Diouf". BBC. 16 June 2005. Retrieved 29 July 2008.
  10. ^ "David Ngog and Gael Kakuta move to Bolton". BBC. 31 August 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
  11. ^ "Defender Steinsson joins Bolton". BBC. 16 January 2008. Retrieved 29 July 2008.
  12. ^ "Dean Holdsworth". Sporting Heroes. Retrieved 29 July 2008.
  13. ^ "Bolton capture midfielder Taylor". BBC. 17 January 2008. Retrieved 29 July 2008.
  14. ^ Bolton break transfer record with £11m Elmander deal
  15. ^ "Chelsea complete £15m Anelka deal". BBC Sport. London. 11 January 2008. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  16. ^ "Gary Cahill's move from Bolton to Chelsea completed". BBC Sport. 16 January 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  17. ^ "Gary Madine: Cardiff City sign striker from Bolton Wanderers". BBC Sport. London. 31 January 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  18. ^ "Jason McAteer's playing career". Soccerbase. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  19. ^ "Celtic's Thompson seals Leeds move". Belfast Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  20. ^ "Football: No bad blood over Wise tackle, says Gregory". The Independent. 31 October 1998. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  21. ^ "Sasa Curcic – Midfielder". Archived from the original on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  22. ^ "Charlton complete Jensen swoop". BBC. 21 July 2000. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  23. ^ "Chelsea spend for success". BBC. 13 August 2000. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  24. ^ "Nolan completes Newcastle switch". BBC. 30 January 2009. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  25. ^ "Wigan sign goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi from Bolton Wanderers". BBC. 4 July 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  26. ^ "1980–1999". www.bwfc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011.
  27. ^ Heroes, Heartbreakers & Headliners Bolton Wanderers F.C. The Official History 1877–2002 by Simon Marland pp.106, 306