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For pure tension, there are few games that have rivalled Wanderers’ must-win trip to Wrexham to seal promotion from the Fourth Division in 1988.
Having found themselves at the lowest ebb in their league history thanks to a play-off defeat against Aldershot Town, Phil Neal’s side had made hard work of their promotion chase.
A 4-0 win at Colchester United on the penultimate weekend of the season, coupled with Torquay United’s stumble against Burnley, meant there was a small window of opportunity as they went into the final game against Wrexham. It was a case of win, and hope the Gulls once again had their wings clipped by Scunthorpe United.
The official attendance at the Racecourse Ground was given as a shade under 6,000 – but this was another of those occasions where the size of the away support, who gathered readily in droves around the pubs before the game, made you question the numbers.
“You knew how big a game it was looking out of the window on the team bus,” Julian Darby told The Bolton News. “From about four or five miles away from Wrexham all you could see were Bolton fans, Bolton buses, Bolton rosettes and scarves in cars.
“But the pressure was on Torquay against Scunthorpe because they were at home. We just needed to go out and win a game against Wrexham knowing we’d have all that backing.”
Played a week before the famous FA Cup final between Liverpool and Wimbledon at Wembley, the game at Wrexham proved fragmented and nervy. John Thomas, who had borrowed his manager Phil Neal’s boots for the occasion, missed a couple of chances to add to his 22 goals for the season, but news that Torquay had slipped 2-0 down gave supporters something to hang their hopes on as the second half began.
Back in the pre-smartphone age, even the coaching staff were relying on messages relayed by the radio, or frequent shuttle trips back to the dressing room to check the scores on Grandstand.
Geoff Hunter’s red card for a poor challenge on Darby gave Bolton the chance they needed. The resulting free kick was flicked on by Andy May, poked through by Mark Came and then finished by Robbie Savage – a clip now synonymous with the commentary of the late, great Dave Higson.
Down on the south coast, Torquay also got themselves back into the game and were now trailing 2-1 with 15 minutes remaining. Bolton’s defence, which had been so secure earlier in the game, was now buckling under the pressure and the players gradually sat deeper and deeper to protect their lead.
A red card for Thomas didn’t help – but once the referee blew for full time, the celebrations began cautiously. Manager Neal darted to the dressing room to check the BBC’s Vidiprinter but the tannoy soon confirmed that Torquay had indeed slipped up. Bolton were promoted.
“I’ve got to be honest, I can hardly remember the actual game.” Savage later admitted. “I can just think that the crowd behind the goal were screaming at us the score at Torquay. We were winning but it wasn’t until we ran off at the end that we actually knew we’d gone up.
“It was just a mad scramble. There had been so much pressure on us but I can’t say I ever really felt it. I just loved putting a pair of boots on and getting out there to play.”
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For pure tension, there are few games that have rivalled Wanderers’ must-win trip to Wrexham to seal promotion from the Fourth Division in 1988.
Having found themselves at the lowest ebb in their league history thanks to a play-off defeat against Aldershot Town, Phil Neal’s side had made hard work of their promotion chase.
A 4-0 win at Colchester United on the penultimate weekend of the season, coupled with Torquay United’s stumble against Burnley, meant there was a small window of opportunity as they went into the final game against Wrexham. It was a case of win, and hope the Gulls once again had their wings clipped by Scunthorpe United.
The official attendance at the Racecourse Ground was given as a shade under 6,000 – but this was another of those occasions where the size of the away support, who gathered readily in droves around the pubs before the game, made you question the numbers.
“You knew how big a game it was looking out of the window on the team bus,” Julian Darby told The Bolton News. “From about four or five miles away from Wrexham all you could see were Bolton fans, Bolton buses, Bolton rosettes and scarves in cars.
“But the pressure was on Torquay against Scunthorpe because they were at home. We just needed to go out and win a game against Wrexham knowing we’d have all that backing.”
Played a week before the famous FA Cup final between Liverpool and Wimbledon at Wembley, the game at Wrexham proved fragmented and nervy. John Thomas, who had borrowed his manager Phil Neal’s boots for the occasion, missed a couple of chances to add to his 22 goals for the season, but news that Torquay had slipped 2-0 down gave supporters something to hang their hopes on as the second half began.
Back in the pre-smartphone age, even the coaching staff were relying on messages relayed by the radio, or frequent shuttle trips back to the dressing room to check the scores on Grandstand.
Geoff Hunter’s red card for a poor challenge on Darby gave Bolton the chance they needed. The resulting free kick was flicked on by Andy May, poked through by Mark Came and then finished by Robbie Savage – a clip now synonymous with the commentary of the late, great Dave Higson.
Down on the south coast, Torquay also got themselves back into the game and were now trailing 2-1 with 15 minutes remaining. Bolton’s defence, which had been so secure earlier in the game, was now buckling under the pressure and the players gradually sat deeper and deeper to protect their lead.
A red card for Thomas didn’t help – but once the referee blew for full time, the celebrations began cautiously. Manager Neal darted to the dressing room to check the BBC’s Vidiprinter but the tannoy soon confirmed that Torquay had indeed slipped up. Bolton were promoted.
“I’ve got to be honest, I can hardly remember the actual game.” Savage later admitted. “I can just think that the crowd behind the goal were screaming at us the score at Torquay. We were winning but it wasn’t until we ran off at the end that we actually knew we’d gone up.
“It was just a mad scramble. There had been so much pressure on us but I can’t say I ever really felt it. I just loved putting a pair of boots on and getting out there to play.”
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