Home
Another chapter enters into the rich and often fierce rivalry between the two Wanderers – Bolton and Wolverhampton – at the Macron Stadium tomorrow.
The two founder members of the Football League have been involved in some memorable clashes in the last 130 years but surely none sticks in the mind quite like the infamous Battle of Burnden Park.
Should anyone require a history lesson as to why this fixture evokes such passion in both camps, they need only read accounts of that January afternoon in 1997 as Mark McGhee’s men came looking to knock the Premier League-bound Whites off their perch.
The game is remembered for the remarkable 22-man brawl, which proved so impossible to monitor it did not even make it into the report of referee David Allinson.
But that free-for-all was only part of what made for a fascinating affair.
John McGinlay, who was public enemy number one in the Black Country having got away with decking David Kelly in the 1995 play-off semi-final, was winding up the 3,000-strong travelling contingent even before kick-off.
Lofty the Lion – Bolton’s renowned mascot – also landed himself in hot water when his dance routines in front of the Wolves fans were reported to the Football Association.
The mind games worked, however, with McGinlay and Nathan Blake scoring either side of a Keith Curle own goal, leaving McGhee to concede the title with 17 games to spare.
“We absolutely owned them,” said McGinlay, with a familiar hint of mischievousness. “We were romping the league in the same way Wolves are right now, and they thought they could come and out-muscle us.
“Their intention wasn’t to play football, it was to try and rip us apart. But when you looked around we had people like Chris Fairclough, Gerry Taggart, John Sheridan, Gudni Bergsson, Jamie Pollock? …I mean, nah!”
Only three bookings were given on a day where McGinlay admitted a “few new scars were made,” but the Scot doubts Bolton can risk being quite so blatant at the Macron.
“You’d never get away with it,” he said. “The game would have been abandoned nowadays, no doubt about it. You would have had too many sent-off.
“I can remember running towards things and Iwan Roberts pushing me in the back, so I ended up on the floor. It was one of those digs he he had to get in.
“It wasn’t the only scrap on the day, either. There were some sore chins that day.
“But it was the last chance saloon for Wolves who felt they could still catch us. Sometimes you have got to try and put good teams out of their stride.”
McGinlay acknowledges his own role in the modern-day rivalry between Bolton and Wolves - but flashpoints between the two clubs were commonplace through history.
“It had been around for years but I suppose what solidified it was the play-off semi-final, where I should have got sent-off,” he said of the oft-mentioned ‘wee push’ on the Wolves striker.
“Looking back they were great games to be involved in – two sets of passionate fans, loads at stake. It’ll never be an ordinary game when Bolton play Wolves, not after that.”
McGinlay has a begrudging respect for the old enemy, who booked their place in next season’s Premier League with a win against Birmingham last week and need just a point to secure the title.
“You get what you pay for and Wolves have invested in quality players,” he said.
“You have to give them some credit – as much as it pains me – because they have played entertaining football, they have signed good players who have coped with the Championship and the manager has got a grasp on things as well. That said, there wouldn’t be a happier man in the stadium if Bolton could get something out of the game.”
Wolves are on 95 points and could finish up with 104 – which would put them third on the all-time list behind Reading (106) and Sunderland (105).
McGinlay was in a similar position with Wanderers in 1997, as Todd’s side chased 100 points and 100 goals, failing on the former count on the final day.
“The question is, can they keep that intensity when they have already won the race?” he said. “Bolton have got to find some way of exploiting it if they don’t.”
Source
The two founder members of the Football League have been involved in some memorable clashes in the last 130 years but surely none sticks in the mind quite like the infamous Battle of Burnden Park.
Should anyone require a history lesson as to why this fixture evokes such passion in both camps, they need only read accounts of that January afternoon in 1997 as Mark McGhee’s men came looking to knock the Premier League-bound Whites off their perch.
The game is remembered for the remarkable 22-man brawl, which proved so impossible to monitor it did not even make it into the report of referee David Allinson.
But that free-for-all was only part of what made for a fascinating affair.
John McGinlay, who was public enemy number one in the Black Country having got away with decking David Kelly in the 1995 play-off semi-final, was winding up the 3,000-strong travelling contingent even before kick-off.
Lofty the Lion – Bolton’s renowned mascot – also landed himself in hot water when his dance routines in front of the Wolves fans were reported to the Football Association.
The mind games worked, however, with McGinlay and Nathan Blake scoring either side of a Keith Curle own goal, leaving McGhee to concede the title with 17 games to spare.
“We absolutely owned them,” said McGinlay, with a familiar hint of mischievousness. “We were romping the league in the same way Wolves are right now, and they thought they could come and out-muscle us.
“Their intention wasn’t to play football, it was to try and rip us apart. But when you looked around we had people like Chris Fairclough, Gerry Taggart, John Sheridan, Gudni Bergsson, Jamie Pollock? …I mean, nah!”
Only three bookings were given on a day where McGinlay admitted a “few new scars were made,” but the Scot doubts Bolton can risk being quite so blatant at the Macron.
“You’d never get away with it,” he said. “The game would have been abandoned nowadays, no doubt about it. You would have had too many sent-off.
“I can remember running towards things and Iwan Roberts pushing me in the back, so I ended up on the floor. It was one of those digs he he had to get in.
“It wasn’t the only scrap on the day, either. There were some sore chins that day.
“But it was the last chance saloon for Wolves who felt they could still catch us. Sometimes you have got to try and put good teams out of their stride.”
McGinlay acknowledges his own role in the modern-day rivalry between Bolton and Wolves - but flashpoints between the two clubs were commonplace through history.
“It had been around for years but I suppose what solidified it was the play-off semi-final, where I should have got sent-off,” he said of the oft-mentioned ‘wee push’ on the Wolves striker.
“Looking back they were great games to be involved in – two sets of passionate fans, loads at stake. It’ll never be an ordinary game when Bolton play Wolves, not after that.”
McGinlay has a begrudging respect for the old enemy, who booked their place in next season’s Premier League with a win against Birmingham last week and need just a point to secure the title.
“You get what you pay for and Wolves have invested in quality players,” he said.
“You have to give them some credit – as much as it pains me – because they have played entertaining football, they have signed good players who have coped with the Championship and the manager has got a grasp on things as well. That said, there wouldn’t be a happier man in the stadium if Bolton could get something out of the game.”
Wolves are on 95 points and could finish up with 104 – which would put them third on the all-time list behind Reading (106) and Sunderland (105).
McGinlay was in a similar position with Wanderers in 1997, as Todd’s side chased 100 points and 100 goals, failing on the former count on the final day.
“The question is, can they keep that intensity when they have already won the race?” he said. “Bolton have got to find some way of exploiting it if they don’t.”
Source
