1900 - 1910: THE WANDERERS home game against Newcastle in the 1901/1902 saw Harold Williams, who had signed from Bury, score twice on his home debut. He was barred from playing in the following game at Villa as he had not been registered with the Football League. The Wanderers were fined one guinea for this oversight!

Goalkeeper James Sutcliffe became the first Bolton player to be sent off at Burnden Park when Wanderers beat Sheffield Wednesday 3-1. He was given his marching orders for bad language directed at the referee after he had allowed a goal that the custodian claimed did not cross the line.

Introduction of the programme for a Gran Scenic Bazaar is aid of the Wanderers
at the Albert Hall, Bolton, in October 1900

The 1902/1903 season got off to a sad start with the death of former captain Dai Jones. The 35-year-old Welshman fell on glass whilst playing for Manchester City and tetanus set in. He was well respected in Bolton and large numbers of people paid their last respects, as the funeral made it's way through Deane, to a player who had played 228 League games for the Wanderers.

John Lewis was appointed trainer at the beginning of October, but unfortunately his first season did not go very well and after a poor campaign Wanderers were relegated to the Second Division.

The Wanderers were in good company in the Second Division in 1903 with two other founder members, Burnley and Preston, also attempting to regain their place in the top tier. A 3-0 win over Burton United at Burnden was followed up wit a 3-2 win at Burslem Port Vale and it seemed that another term similar to 1899/1900 was on the cards.

Failure to return to the First Division for the start of the 1904/1905 season prompted more comings and goings. William Brown went to Aston Villa for the highest fee received, Jocky Wright and Harry Gardiner went to Plymouth, jimmy Hanson to Doncaster and Tom Barlow joined Millwall. Incomings were Tom Wilson from Queens Park Rangers, Archie Taylor from Dundee, George Eccles from West Ham and Albert Shepherd, later to become an English International, rejoined the Wanderers from Bolton St Lukes and was still only seventeen years old.

During the close season prior to 1905/1906 the cycling track at Burnden Park was removed thus making room for more spectators. Bolton Corporation renewed the lease of the ground for a further ten years, on the original terms, and the main stand on Manchester Road was erected at a cost of £3500. The new construction provided accommodation for 6000 spectators, 3420 of whom could be seated.

The season's haul of 41 points was the clubs best in the First Division that season, and gave a final position of sixth.

By the end of 1907 Wanderers were placed in mid table with a total of 22 points from 23 games, but by the end of March had slumped to bottom having collected only a further three points from eight games. During this period the club also bowed out of the FA Cup in identical circumstances as the previous season, losing to Everton in a third round replay.

Relegation looked a certainty after yet another home defeat, this time at the hands of Sunderland. There was however a change of fortune, not dissimilar to 1903, with five points being collected in the first three games of April. At the end of that season, Wanderers again fell back down to the Second Division, along with Birmingham.

Prior to the 1908/1909 season commencing, John Somerville was given the title of the Secretary-Manager as the professional staff increased to 35 in an attempt to regain First Division status at the first attempt.

Returning to the First Division had cost the club over £3,000 in transfer fees and a wage bill of £6,472 which was the highest of all the Lancashire Clubs. The task that had been set eight months earlier had been successfully completed but there was once again cries to improve the playing staff to ensure their survival in the top grade. All these problems were put to one side whilst the Wanderers visited the continent and won all five games played in the Netherlands.

For the first time ever, the 1909/1910 Football League season almost failed to start on time with the Players Union at loggerheads with the F.A. over paying insurance to injured players. The dispute was settled in the nick of time.

1910 - 1919: On 20 January 1910 Will Settle, who had been a director of the club for 14 years, was appointed Director/Manager whilst trainer Jack Lewis severed his connections with the club.

Five games during March yielded only one point with the opposing net only being found in one of those games, that being a 4-2 reverse at Blackburn. With four games remaining, Bolton found themselves six points behind 'Spurs who were in 18th place. The first two games were won but relegation was confirmed when 'Spurs came to Burnden and took both points in a 2-0 win.

Ted Vizard made his League debut for the club in a 3-0 home win over Gainsborough, thus forming a partnership on the left wing with Joe Smith that was to serve the club for more than sixteen years. The Wanderers went to the top of the Second Division for the first time on November 26th after a 3-1 win at Lincoln City. On the last day of the year Leicester Fosse were beaten 6-2 at Burnden, the crowd of 9300 being the best of the season to date, Billy Hughes scoring his fourth hat trick of the year.

Bolton Wanderers 1911-12 season

The race for promotion became a three horse race in 1911. The Wanderers, West Brom and Chelsea all holding the leadership at some stage during March. On April 26th promotion rivals Chelsea were beaten 2-0 before a Burnden crowd of 40,000. This left both Wanderers and West Brom level on 51 points with Chelsea two points adrift and all with one game left to play.

Chelsea lost their final game of that season against third from bottom Gainsborough, thus giving the Wanderers promotion as runners up.

The end of the 1911/1912 season wound up with a 1-1 draw versus Manchester United at Burnden Park, a game that saw Joe Edmondson take his benefit to the tune of £300 and leave the Wanderers in a healthy fourth place. The Bolton public had been treated to a season of scientific football - a clever thrilling game - not the crashing sort associated with the Second Division. They saw players in Wanderers colours produce a class of football that was normally associated with the likes of Aston Villa and Newcastle United.

At the season's end James Hogan returned to the continent to coach the Austrian National Team, whilst Sam Marsh, who had made his debut in the 23rd game and Bolton's first win in 1902/1903, made the short trip to Bury.

Bolton prepared for the new season with a couple of signings from Oldham Athletic. Welsh international centre forward Evan Jones and Farnworth born Walter Rowley, who was later to serve the club as coach and manager, came to Burnden along with Welsh Schoolboy International William Jennings from Barry. The Wanderers opened the season as usual - with a defeat - not having started with a win since 1904, on this occasion Newcastle winning 2-1 at Burnden.

By the end of 1912 the club were still in 6th position and had parted with Tom Barber to Aston Villa after 107 League and Cup games with the club. Barber, who was born within 100 yards of Newcastle United, had been signed by John Somerville in 1908 and the profit from the fee of £1950 received went towards the erection of a cover on the Great Lever stand.

During the season the Great Lever stand was covered with an intention to join up the new roof with the old ones to make three sides of the ground completely covered. A profit of £4,000 was recorded after paying for the stand and Manager Will Settle was engaged for a further 5 years.

A record fee of £1,300 was spent on bringing Barnsley centre forward George Lillycrop to Burnden Park at the beginning of the 1913/1914 season. The new striker took the place vacated by Alf Bentley, who returned to the Midlands with West Brom.

Another departure from Burnden was that of Billy Hughes to Wolves, having failed to command a first team place in the 'new look' Bolton side. Hughes had scored 51 goals in 100 League appearances for the Wanderers and the club was later fined £25 by the League for misleading Hughes into believing he would receive a payment in lieu of a benefit which was against League rules.

Wanderers team from 1914-15 season

The Great War interrupted plans for the 1914/1915 season. The season opened with a friendly, proceeds of which went towards the war funds. On 7th September 1914 the League Management Committee issued the following statement:

"In view of requests from certain quarters to stop football the Management Committee have taken council with their clubs. The Committee are even more decidedly of the opinion that in the interests of the people of this country football ought to continue."

On Boxing Day the Wanderers recorded their best ever away League victory with a 7-1 thumping of Aston Villa. Strangely both sides had travelled to Birmingham on the same train, Villa having won at Blackburn on Christmas Day. The return with Villa on New Year's Day ended in a draw but the Wanderers defeated League leaders Oldham 2-0 the following day to climb into 13th place.

It was a miserable season against two Sheffield clubs who also took maximum League points. Enough points were won in the final run-in, although not impressively, to keep their place in the First Division, although this became secondary on May 4th it was announced that football was to be suspended. There were, however, second thoughts and regional tournaments, with unpaid players, were hastily organised.

The Regional Leagues were commenced again at the beginning of the 1915/1916 season, with all the games only being allowed to take place on a Saturday or a public holiday, with no midweek games, so as not to interfere with the work of making munitions. The Wanderers had great difficulty in fielding teams and this was made harder when compulsory military service was introduced in 1916. The police kept watch at football games in an attempt to catch men shirking their responsibility to their country.

In July the effect of the war struck home to the club when the first Wanderers professional fell whilst fighting in Picardy. Harold Greenhalgh, who was 23 years old, played his last game for the club on New Year's Day in a 3-1 defeat at Southport, having been ever-present up to his call up for duty.

The Wanderers continued to operate with a skeleton squad of players into the 1916/1917 season, the players were working in either local munitions or the local forces. Joe Smith was the team's inspiration during this season, being the country's leading goal scorer by December, until his call up for duty in his apt rank of bomber.

The day that had been dreamt of for four years came on 16th November 1918 when peacetime football returned with the Wanderers defeating Southport Vulcan 3-2 at Burnden. Joe Thomas of the Guards had the honour of being the first Wanderer to return from the War to take his place in the team.

By the end of November rumour was rife that both Joe Smith and Ted Vizard would be in the colours of Chelsea, for whom they had been guesting, when League football returned to normal. This was immediately quashed by the Wanderers who declared they were on the lookout for players, and in fact were later fined £25 by the League for an illegal approach to Bury centre forward Lythgoe. Centre forward was a problem position for the Wanderers and by the end of the year 12 different players have been tried.

A month later saw the return of Vizard, Hilton and Roberts to the forward line in a 3-2 win over Rochdale. On February 22nd, the directors placed the management of the team until the end of the season in the hands of Ted Vizard.

On 12th July 1919 Wanderers appointed Mr Charles Foweraker as Manager for the recommencement of normal League football. He had been with the club since 1895 on the administration staff and was to serve the club through its most successful period. George Eccles was re-appointed as trainer whilst Joe Smith was handed the captaincy.

 Football was then faced with further problems due to railway strikes. Some of the less important games had to be postponed on account of the team being unable to get to their destinations. The Wanderers did get to their game at Derby, by means of private cars and two taxis, then went on to win 2-1.

Chelsea followed their Cup win by again winning at Burnden by 2-1 in a League encounter but revenge was gained a week later when the Wanderers won 3-2 in London. Full back Jack Feebury played his final Wanderers League game in the home defeat by Chelsea. He was well known for his powerful shooting and had scored four goals during the season, two from free kicks and two from penalties, before his transfer to Exeter with whom further transfer business was to take place during the 1920s.

To assist with the compilation of these history pages, extracts were taken from 'Heroes, Heartbreakers & Headliners', The Official Bolton Wanderers History Book by Simon Marland.

The book is priced at £23.95 and can be purchased from the Club Superstore or online at www.bwfcsuperstore.co.uk