# 2000–01 Bolton Wanderers F.C. season

The 2000–01 season was the 122nd season in Bolton Wanderers Football Club's existence, and their third successive season in the Football League First Division. It covers the period from 1 July 2000 to 30 June 2001.

## Season summary

Bolton finished third, qualifying for the play-offs. Two late goals gave the Wanderers a 3–0 win over local rivals Preston North End, thus allowing Bolton return to the Premiership after an absence of three seasons.

## Squad

    Squad at end of season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | ENG | Steve Banks |
| 2 | DF | ENG | John O'Kane |
| 3 | DF | ENG | Mike Whitlow |
| 4 | DF | ISL | Guðni Bergsson |
| 5 | DF | ENG | Paul Warhurst |
| 7 | DF | ENG | Robbie Elliott |
| 8 | MF | DEN | Per Frandsen |
| 9 | FW | DEN | Bo Hansen |
| 10 | FW | ENG | Dean Holdsworth |
| 11 | MF | JAM | Ricardo Gardner |
| 12 | DF | ENG | Dean Holden |
| 14 | MF | IRL | Gareth Farrelly |
| 15 | MF | ENG | Kevin Nolan |
| 16 | DF | ENG | Jimmy Phillips |
| 17 | FW | ENG | Michael Ricketts |
| 18 | FW | ENG | Paul Wheatcroft |
| 19 | MF | ENG | David Norris |
| 20 | GK | ENG | Matthew Glennon |
| 21 | GK | ENG | Matt Clarke (on loan from Bradford City) |
| 22 | GK | FIN | Jussi Jääskeläinen |
| 23 | FW | FRA | Mickaël Kapriélian |
| 24 | DF | ENG | Anthony Barness |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 25 | DF | ENG | Simon Charlton |
| 26 | DF | ENG | Leam Richardson |
| 27 | MF | FRA | Franck Passi |
| 28 | FW | ENG | Ian Marshall |
| 29 | MF | ENG | Ryan Baldacchino |
| 30 | DF | SCO | Colin Hendry |
| 31 | FW | ITA | Emanuele Morini |
| 32 | DF | ENG | Jeff Smith |
| 33 | MF | ENG | Nicky Summerbee |
| 34 | GK | NIR | Tommy Wright |
| 35 | FW | ENG | Andy Campbell (on loan from Middlesbrough) |
| 36 | MF | NIR | Keiran O'Connor |
| 37 | DF | NIR | Gary Haveron |
| 38 | FW | ISL | Ólafur Páll Snorrason |
| 39 | MF | ENG | Danny Crumblehume |
| 40 | GK | SCO | James Evans |
| 41 | MF | NIR | Wayne Buchanan |
| 42 | MF | IRL | Ciaran Ryan |
| 43 | DF | ENG | Nicky Hunt |
| 44 | MF | ENG | Shaun Dootson |
| 45 | FW | ENG | Chris Downey |

### Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 6 | DF | RSA | Mark Fish (to Charlton Athletic) |
| 13 | DF | NCL | John Gope-Fenepej (on loan from Nantes) |
| 21 | GK | USA | Juergen Sommer (on loan from New England Revolution) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 29 | FW | ENG | Isaiah Rankin (on loan from Bradford City) |
| 32 | MF | DEN | Carsten Fredgaard (on loan from Sunderland) |
| 44 | MF | IRL | Alan Power (released) |

## Results
### First Division

| Date | Opponents | H / A | Result F – A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 12 August 2000 | Burnley | H | 1 – 1 | Frandsen 28' (pen) | 20,662 |
| 19 August 2000 | West Bromwich Albion | A | 2 – 0 | Rankin 23', Farrelly 75' | 17,316 |
| 26 August 2000 | Preston North End | H | 2 – 0 | Rankin 42', Ricketts 82' | 19,954 |
| 28 August 2000 | Tranmere Rovers | A | 1 – 0 | Whitlow 53' | 9,350 |
| 9 September 2000 | Huddersfield Town | A | 3 – 2 | Holdsworth 51', Ricketts (2) 70', 77' | 12,248 |
| 12 September 2000 | Grimsby Town | A | 1 – 0 | Ricketts 71' | 3,732 |
| 16 September 2000 | Portsmouth | H | 2 – 0 | Holdsworth 42', Ricketts 85' | 14,113 |
| 23 September 2000 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 1 – 1 | Hansen 88' | 23,660 |
| 30 September 2000 | Fulham | H | 0 – 2 | | 19,924 |
| 6 October 2000 | Gillingham | A | 2 – 2 | Hansen 8', O'Kane 32' | 9,311 |
| 14 October 2000 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | H | 2 – 1 | Holdsworth 28', Bergsson 68' | 15,585 |
| 17 October 2000 | Nottingham Forest | H | 0 – 0 | | 13,017 |
| 21 October 2000 | Stockport County | A | 3 – 4 | Marshall (2) 59', 84', Ricketts 69' | 8,266 |
| 24 October 2000 | Watford | A | 0 – 1 | | 11,799 |
| 28 October 2000 | Crystal Palace | H | 3 – 3 | Bergsson 20', Ricketts 75' Frandsen 77' | 12,879 |
| 31 October 2000 | Queens Park Rangers | H | 3 – 1 | Bergsson 45, Elliott 62', Ricketts 65' | 10,180 |
| 4 November 2000 | Birmingham City | A | 1 – 1 | Ricketts 66' | 20,043 |
| 11 November 2000 | Barnsley | H | 2 – 0 | Ricketts 14', Gardner 28' | 13,406 |
| 18 November 2000 | Norwich City | A | 2 – 0 | Ricketts 58', Bergsson 74' | 15,224 |
| 25 November 2000 | Sheffield United | A | 0 – 1 | | 14,962 |
| 3 December 2000 | Watford | H | 2 – 1 | Gardner 71', Marshall 79' | 13,904 |
| 9 December 2000 | Crewe Alexandra | H | 4 – 1 | Frandsen 20', Marshall 22', Bergsson 44', Nolan 89' | 12,836 |
| 16 December 2000 | Wimbledon | A | 1 – 0 | Holdsworth 78' | 6,076 |
| 23 December 2000 | Burnley | A | 2 – 0 | Ricketts (2) 53', 72' | 19,552 |
| 26 December 2000 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 2 – 0 | Holdsworth 15', Hendry 51' | 21,316 |
| 30 December 2000 | West Bromwich Albion | H | 0 – 1 | | 18,985 |
| 1 January 2001 | Preston North End | A | 2 – 0 | Farrelly 8', Ricketts 84' | 15,863 |
| 13 January 2001 | Tranmere Rovers | H | 2 – 0 | Hansen 16', Hill 20' (og) | 15,493 |
| 20 January 2001 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 3 – 0 | Gardner 19', Ricketts 40', Marshall 88' | 17,638 |
| 3 February 2001 | Queens Park Rangers | A | 1 – 1 | Frandsen 87' | 10,293 |
| 10 February 2001 | Huddersfield Town | H | 2 – 2 | Bergsson 60', Frandsen 90' | 14,866 |
| 13 February 2001 | Portsmouth | A | 2 – 1 | Ricketts 48', Hansen 71' | 11,377 |
| 20 February 2001 | Grimsby Town | H | 2 – 2 | Bergsson 61', Hansen 74' | 24,249 |
| 23 February 2001 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 1 – 4 | Ricketts 84' | 20,017 |
| 4 March 2001 | Fulham | A | 1 – 1 | Frandsen 52' | 16,468 |
| 10 March 2001 | Gillingham | H | 3 – 3 | Frandsen 30', Patterson 45' (og), Holdsworth 51' | 13,161 |
| 17 March 2001 | Nottingham Forest | A | 2 – 0 | Holdsworth 61', Farrelly 90' | 22,162 |
| 31 March 2001 | Wimbledon | H | 2 – 2 | Elliott 28', Hendry 66' | 14,562 |
| 3 April 2001 | Stockport County | H | 1 – 1 | Hendry 11' | 12,492 |
| 13 April 2001 | Birmingham City | H | 2 – 2 | Bergsson 53', Holdsworth 55' | 15,025 |
| 16 April 2001 | Crystal Palace | A | 2 – 0 | Marshall 12', Summerbee 68' | 16,268 |
| 18 April 2001 | Crewe Alexandra | A | 1 – 2 | Holdsworth 62' | 8,054 |
| 21 April 2001 | Norwich City | H | 1 – 0 | Holdsworth 66' | 17,967 |
| 28 April 2001 | Barnsley F.C. | A | 1 – 0 | Ricketts 56' | 13,979 |
| 1 May 2001 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | A | 2 – 0 | Holdsworth 20', Ricketts 70' | 16,242 |
| 6 May 2001 | Sheffield United | H | 1 – 1 | Holden 90' | 14,836 |
| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Fulham (C, P) | 46 | 30 | 11 | 5 | 90 | 32 | +58 | 101 | Promotion to the Premier League |
| 2 | Blackburn Rovers (P) | 46 | 26 | 13 | 7 | 76 | 39 | +37 | 91 | Promotion to the Premier League |
| 3 | Bolton Wanderers (O, P) | 46 | 24 | 15 | 7 | 76 | 45 | +31 | 87 | Qualification for the First Division play-offs |
| 4 | Preston North End | 46 | 23 | 9 | 14 | 64 | 52 | +12 | 78 | Qualification for the First Division play-offs |
| 5 | Birmingham City | 46 | 23 | 9 | 14 | 59 | 48 | +11 | 78 | Qualification for the First Division play-offs |

### Play-offs

| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result F – A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 13 May 2001 | Semi-final first leg | West Bromwich Albion | A | 2 – 2 | Bergsson 81', Frandsen 88' (pen) | 18,167 |
| 17 May 2001 | Semi-final second leg | West Bromwich Albion | H | 3 – 0 5 – 2 (agg) | Bergsson 10', Gardner 63', Ricketts 90' | 23,515 |
| 28 May 2001 | Final | Preston North End | Millennium Stadium | 3 – 0 | Farrelly 17', Ricketts 89', Gardner 90' | 54,328 |

### FA Cup

| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result F – A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 6 January 2001 | Round 3 | Yeovil Town | H | 2 – 1 | O'Kane 44', Ricketts 90' | 11,161 |
| 28 January 2001 | Round 4 | Scunthorpe United | H | 5 – 1 | Holdsworth (3) 27', 29', 47', Nolan (2) 51', 75' | 11,737 |
| 17 February 2001 | Round 5 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 1 – 1 | Ricketts 62' | 22,048 |
| 7 March 2001 | Round 5 replay | Blackburn Rovers | A | 0 – 3 | | 20,318 |

### League Cup

| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result F – A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 22 August 2000 | Round 1 first leg | Macclesfield Town F.C. | H | 1 – 0 | Holdsworth 84' | 4,957 |
| 5 September 2000 | Round 1 second leg | Macclesfield Town | A | 1 – 3 2 – 3 (agg) | Ricketts 71' | 2,235 |

## Appearances

Bolton used a total of 35 players during the season.
| P | Player | Position | PL | FAC | LC | Total |
| 1 | Guðni Bergsson | Defender | 47 0(0) | 02 0(0) | 01 0(1) | 50 0(1) |
| 2 | Bo Hansen | Midfielder/Striker | 41 0(3) | 02 0(1) | 01 0(1) | 44 0(5) |
| 3 | Gareth Farrelly | Midfielder | 39 0(5) | 03 0(0) | 01 0(0) | 43 0(5) |
| 4 | Per Frandsen | Midfielder | 37 0(3) | 03 0(1) | 01 0(1) | 41 0(5) |
| 5 | Kevin Nolan | Midfielder | 27 0(6) | 03 0(1) | 03 0(0) | 33 0(7) |
| 6 | Robbie Elliott | Defender | 31 0(3) | 02 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 33 0(3) |
| 7 | Ricardo Gardner | Midfielder | 29 0(5) | 02 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 31 0(5) |
| 8 | Dean Holdsworth | Striker | 25 0(9) | 02 0(1) | 02 0(0) | 29 (10) |
| 9 | John O'Kane | Defender | 24 0(2) | 02 0(0) | 02 0(0) | 28 0(2) |
| 10 | Jussi Jääskeläinen | Goalkeeper | 27 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 27 0(0) |
| 11 | Michael Ricketts | Striker | 24 (17) | 02 0(2) | 00 0(1) | 26 (20) |
| 12 | Colin Hendry | Defender | 25 0(0) | 01 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 26 0(0) |
| 13 | Simon Charlton | Defender | 21 0(4) | 03 0(1) | 00 0(0) | 24 0(5) |
| 14 | Anthony Barness | Defender | 20 0(3) | 02 0(0) | 02 0(0) | 24 0(3) |
| 15 | Paul Warhurst | Defender | 19 0 (1) | 02 0(0) | 01 0(0) | 22 0(1) |
| 16 | Franck Passi | Midfielder | 12 0(9) | 03 0(0) | 02 0(0) | 17 0(9) |
| 17 | Ian Marshall | Defender/Striker | 13 (25) | 03 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 16 (25) |
| 18 | Mark Fish | Defender | 13 0(1) | 00 0(0) | 02 0(0) | 15 0(1) |
| 19 | Steve Banks | Goalkeeper | 08 0(1) | 03 0(0) | 02 0(0) | 13 0(1) |
| 20 | Nicky Summerbee | Midfielder | 09 0(3) | 03 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 12 0(3) |
| 21 | Isaiah Rankin | Striker | 09 0(7) | 00 0(0) | 02 0(0) | 11 0(7) |
| 22 | Matt Clarke | Goalkeeper | 11 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 11 0(0) |
| 23 | Mike Whitlow | Defender | 07 0(4) | 01 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 08 0(4) |
| 24 | Leam Richardson | Defender | 04 0(7) | 01 0(0) | 01 0(1) | 06 0(8) |
| 25 | Andy Campbell | Striker | 03 0(3) | 00 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 03 0(3) |
| 26 | Tommy Wright | Goalkeeper | 03 0(1) | 00 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 03 0(1) |
| 27= | Emanuele Morini | Striker | 01 0(0) | 01 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 02 0(0) |
| 27= | David Norris | Midfielder | 00 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 02 0(0) | 02 0(0) |
| 29 | Carsten Fredgaard | Striker | 01 0(4) | 00 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 01 0(4) |
| 30= | Dean Holden | Defender | 01 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 01 0(0) |
| 30= | Jeff Smith | Midfielder | 01 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 01 0(0) |
| 30= | Juergen Sommer | Goalkeeper | 00 0(0) | 01 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 01 0(0) |
| 33 | Paul Wheatcroft | Striker | 00 0(0) | 00 0(2) | 00 0(1) | 00 0(3) |
| 34 | John Gope-Fenepej | Defender | 00 0(2) | 00 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 00 0(2) |
| 35= | Chris Downey | Striker | 00 0(1) | 00 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 00 0(1) |
| 35= | Nicky Hunt | Defender | 00 0(1) | 00 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 00 0(1) |

## Top scorers

| P | Player | Position | FLFD | FAC | LC | Total |
| 1 | Michael Ricketts | Striker | 21 | 1 | 2 | 24 |
| 2 | Dean Holdsworth | Striker | 11 | 1 | 3 | 15 |
| 3 | Guðni Bergsson | Defender | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 4 | Per Frandsen | Midfielder | 08 | 0 | 0 | 08 |
| 5 | Ian Marshall | Defender/Striker | 06 | 0 | 0 | 06 |