# 1997–98 Bolton Wanderers F.C. season

The 1997–1998 season was the 119th season in Bolton Wanderers F.C.'s existence, and their first season back in the Premier League after winning the Football League First Division the previous season. It covers the period from 1 July 1997 to 30 June 1998. After 102 years playing at Burnden Park, the club had moved to the new Reebok Stadium.

## Season summary

In their new 27,000-seat stadium, Bolton Wanderers began the season as the strongest-looking of the newly promoted side, particularly after paying a club record fee of £3.5 million for Wimbledon striker Dean Holdsworth and holding Manchester United to a 0–0 draw. But it was a season-long struggle for Colin Todd and his men, who lost their battle on the final day of the season and occupied the final relegation place – on goal difference – to complete a hat-trick of newly promoted clubs suffering relegation. Controversially Bolton had a goal against Everton disallowed in the belief that the ball had not crossed the line after crashing down off the Everton crossbar. Television replays showed the ball had indeed crossed the line. The game finished goal-less and the two sides finished level on points with Everton surviving on their superior goal difference. Bolton fans complained bitterly that the goal and resulting 1–0 win would have kept them in the Premier League at Everton's expense. Everton fans countered by pointing to Bolton's inability to hold onto a lead during the season while Everton had a good record of coming from behind to draw or even win against their fellow strugglers. With an hour to play it is impossible to say with any degree of confidence that Bolton would indeed have been able to hold on to their goal lead.

## Final league table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 16 | Sheffield Wednesday | 38 | 12 | 8 | 18 | 52 | 67 | −15 | 44 | |
| 17 | Everton | 38 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 41 | 56 | −15 | 40 | |
| 18 | Bolton Wanderers (R) | 38 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 41 | 61 | −20 | 40 | Relegation to the Football League First Division |
| 19 | Barnsley (R) | 38 | 10 | 5 | 23 | 37 | 82 | −45 | 35 | Relegation to the Football League First Division |
| 20 | Crystal Palace (R) | 38 | 8 | 9 | 21 | 37 | 71 | −34 | 33 | Intertoto Cup third round and relegation to the First Division |
* ↑ Crystal Palace qualified for the 1998 Intertoto Cup as they were the only English team who applied.

### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Source: 1997-98 FA Premier League table

### Results by round

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 |
| Ground | A | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A |
| Result | W | D | L | D | L | D | D | D | L | L | W | D | L | D | W | W | L | D | L | D | L | D | L | L | D | D | L | L | W | W | L | D | W | L | L | W | W | L |
| Position | 5 | 8 | 13 | 12 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 18 |

## Results
### FA Premier League

| Date | Opponents | H / A | Result F – A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 9 August 1997 | Southampton | A | 1 – 0 | Blake 43' | 15,206 |
| 23 August 1997 | Coventry City | A | 2 – 2 | Blake (2) 69', 76' | 16,633 |
| 27 August 1997 | Barnsley | A | 1 – 2 | Beardsley 31' | 18,661 |
| 1 September 1997 | Everton | H | 0 – 0 | | 23,131 |
| 13 September 1997 | Arsenal | A | 1 – 4 | Thompson 13' | 38,138 |
| 20 September 1997 | Manchester United | H | 0 – 0 | | 25,000 |
| 23 September 1997 | Tottenham Hotspur | H | 1 – 1 | Thompson 20' (pen) | 23,433 |
| 27 September 1997 | Crystal Palace | A | 2 – 2 | Beardsley 36', Johansen 66' | 17,134 |
| 4 October 1997 | Aston Villa | H | 0 – 1 | | 24,186 |
| 18 October 1997 | West Ham United | A | 0 – 3 | | 24,864 |
| 26 October 1997 | Chelsea | H | 1 – 0 | Holdsworth 72' | 24,080 |
| 1 November 1997 | Liverpool | H | 1 – 1 | Blake 84' | 25,000 |
| 8 November 1997 | Sheffield Wednesday | A | 0 – 5 | | 25,027 |
| 22 November 1997 | Leicester City | A | 0 – 0 | | 20,464 |
| 29 November 1997 | Wimbledon | H | 1 – 0 | Blake 89' | 22,703 |
| 1 December 1997 | Newcastle United | H | 1 – 0 | Blake 22' | 24,494 |
| 6 December 1997 | Blackburn Rovers | A | 1 – 3 | Frandsen 84' | 25,503 |
| 14 December 1997 | Derby County | H | 3 – 3 | Thompson 50' (pen), Blake 73', Pollock 77' | 23, 037 |
| 20 December 1997 | Leeds United | A | 0 – 2 | | 31,163 |
| 26 December 1997 | Barnsley | H | 1 – 1 | Bergsson 38' | 25,000 |
| 28 December 1997 | Everton | A | 2 – 3 | Bergsson 42', Sellars 43' | 37,149 |
| 10 January 1998 | Southampton | H | 0 – 0 | | 23,333 |
| 17 January 1998 | Newcastle United | A | 1 – 2 | Blake 72' | 36,767 |
| 31 January 1998 | Coventry City | H | 1 – 5 | Sellars 21' | 25,000 |
| 7 February 1998 | Manchester United | A | 1 – 1 | B.Taylor 60' | 55,156 |
| 21 February 1998 | West Ham United | H | 1 – 1 | Blake 86' | 25,000 |
| 1 March 1998 | Tottenham Hotspur | A | 0 – 1 | | 29,032 |
| 8 March 1998 | Liverpool | A | 1 – 2 | Thompson 7' | 44,532 |
| 14 March 1998 | Sheffield Wednesday | H | 3 – 2 | Frandsen 31', Blake 53', Thompson 69' (pen) | 24,847 |
| 28 March 1998 | Leicester City | H | 2 – 0 | Thompson (2) 52', 89' | 25,000 |
| 31 March 1998 | Arsenal | H | 0 – 1 | | 25,000 |
| 4 April 1998 | Wimbledon | A | 0 – 0 | | 11,356 |
| 11 April 1998 | Blackburn Rovers | H | 2 – 1 | Holdsworth 20', B. Taylor 67' | 25,000 |
| 13 April 1998 | Derby County | A | 0 – 4 | | 29,126 |
| 18 April 1998 | Leeds United | H | 2 – 3 | Thompson 56', Fish 89' | 25,000 |
| 25 April 1998 | Aston Villa | A | 3 – 1 | Cox 18', B.Taylor 41', Blake 84' | 38,392 |
| 2 May 1998 | Crystal Palace | H | 5 – 2 | Blake 7', Fish 20', Phillips 30', Thompson 70', Holdsworth 79' | 24,449 |
| 10 May 1998 | Chelsea | A | 0 – 2 | | 34,845 |

### FA Cup

| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result F – A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 3 January 1998 | Round 3 | Barnsley | A | 0 – 1 | | 15,042 |

### Coca-Cola Cup

| Date | Round | Opponents | H / A | Result F – A | Scorers | Attendance |
| 16 September 1997 | Round 2 First Leg | Leyton Orient | A | 3 – 1 | Todd 13', Frandsen 20', McGinlay 79' | 4,128 |
| 30 September 1997 | Round 2 Second Leg | Leyton Orient | H | 4 – 4 (aet) 7 – 5 (agg) | Blake (2) 8' 35', McGinlay 65' (pen), Gunnlaugsson 66' | 6,444 |
| 14 October 1997 | Round 3 | Wimbledon | H | 2 – 0 (aet) | Pollock 91', McAllister 94' (og) | 9,875 |
| 18 November 1997 | Round 4 | Middlesbrough | A | 1 – 2 (aet) | Thompson 33' | 22,801 |

## Transfers
### Transfers in

| Player | From | Date | Fee |
| Robbie Elliott | Newcastle United | 1 July 1997 | £2,500,000 |
| Arnar Gunnlaugsson | IA Akranes | 10 July 1997 | £100,000 |
| Peter Beardsley | Newcastle United | 18 August 1997 | £450,000 |
| Mark Fish | Lazio | 19 September 1997 | £2,000,000 |
| Mike Whitlow | Leicester City | 19 September 1997 | £500,000 |
| Dean Holdsworth | Wimbledon | 2 October 1997 | £3,500,000 |
| Jussi Jääskeläinen | VPS Vaasa | 11 November 1997 | £100,000 |

### Transfers out

| Player | To | Date | Fee |
| Scott Green | Wigan Athletic | 1 July 1997 | £300,000 |
| David Lee | Wigan Athletic | 14 July 1997 | £250,000 |
| Mixu Paatelainen | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 8 August 1997 | £200,000 |
| John McGinlay | Bradford City | 6 November 1997 | £625,000 |
| Steve McAnespie | Fulham | 27 November 1997 | £100,000 |
| Simon Coleman | Southend | 20 February 1998 | Free |
| Jamie Pollock | Manchester City | 20 March 1998 | £1,000,000 |
| Alan Thompson | Aston Villa | 5 June 1998 | £4,500,000 |

### Loans in

| Player | From | Date From | Date To |
| Franz Carr | Reggiana | 24 October 1997 | 28 January 1998 |
| Bob Taylor | West Bromwich Albion | 9 January 1998 | 9 February 1998 |
| Gaetano Giallanza | Nantes | 26 March 1998 | 31 May 1998 |
| John Salako | Coventry City | 26 March 1998 | 31 May 1998 |
| Bob Taylor | West Bromwich Albion | 26 March 1998 | 31 May 1998 |

### Loans out

| Player | To | Date From | Date To |
| Simon Coleman | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 2 September 1997 | 2 October 1997 |
| Bryan Small | Luton Town | 8 September 1997 | 12 December 1997 |
| Greg Strong | Blackpool | 21 November 1997 | 10 February 1998 |
| Scott Taylor | Rotherham United | 12 December 1997 | 7 February 1998 |
| Bryan Small | Bradford City | 19 December 1997 | 17 January 1998 |
| Bryan Small | Bury | 30 January 1998 | 31 May 1998 |
| Peter Beardsley | Manchester City | 17 February 1998 | 11 March 1998 |
| Peter Beardsley | Fulham | 26 March 1998 | 31 May 1998 |
| Scott Taylor | Blackpool | 26 March 1998 | 26 April 1998 |

## Appearances

Bolton used a total of 29 players during the season.
| P | Player | Position | PL | FAC | LC | Total |
| 1 | Per Frandsen | Midfielder | 38 0(0) | 01 0(0) | 04 0(0) | 43 0(0) |
| 2 | Nathan Blake | Striker | 35 0(0) | 01 0(0) | 03 0(0) | 39 0(0) |
| 3 | Guðni Bergsson (captain) | Defender | 34 0(1) | 01 0(0) | 03 0(0) | 38 0(1) |
| 4 | Alan Thompson | Midfielder | 33 0(0) | 01 0(0) | 04 0(0) | 38 0(0) |
| 5 | Keith Branagan | Goalkeeper | 34 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 03 0(0) | 37 0(0) |
| 6 | Jamie Pollock | Midfielder | 25 0(1) | 01 0(0) | 04 0(0) | 30 0(1) |
| 7 | Andy Todd | Defender | 23 0(2) | 01 0(0) | 04 0(0) | 28 0(2) |
| 8 | Scott Sellars | Midfielder | 22 0(0) | 01 0(0) | 03 0(0) | 26 0(0) |
| 9 | Mark Fish | Defender | 22 0(0) | 01 0(0) | 01 0(0) | 24 0(0) |
| 10 | Jimmy Phillips | Defender | 21 0(1) | 00 0(0) | 01 0(1) | 22 0(2) |
| 11 | Neil Cox | Defender | 20 0(1) | 00 0(1) | 00 0(0) | 200(2) |
| 12 | Peter Beardsley | Striker | 14 0(3) | 00 0(1) | 03 0(0) | 17 0(4) |
| 13 | Dean Holdsworth | Striker | 17 0(3) | 00 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 17 0(3) |
| 14 | Mike Whitlow | Defender | 13 0(0) | 01 0(0) | 03 0(0) | 16 0(0) |
| 15 | Gerry Taggart | Defender | 14 0 (1) | 00 0(0) | 01 0(0) | 15 0(1) |
| 16 | John Sheridan | Midfielder | 12 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 12 0(0) |
| 17 | Bob Taylor | Striker | 10 0(2) | 00 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 10 0(2) |
| 18 | Chris Fairclough | Striker | 10 0(1) | 00 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 10 0(1) |
| 19 | John McGinlay | Striker | 04 0(3) | 00 0(0) | 02 0(1) | 06 0(4) |
| 20 | Gavin Ward | Goalkeeper | 04 0(2) | 01 0(0) | 01 0(0) | 06 0(2) |
| 21 | Michael Johansen | Midfielder | 04 (12) | 00 0(0) | 01 0(2) | 05 (14) |
| 22 | Robbie Elliott | Defender | 04 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 04 0(0) |
| 23 | Arnar Gunnlaugsson | Striker | 02 (13) | 01 0(0) | 00 0(3) | 03 (16) |
| 24 | Steve McAnespie | Defender | 01 0(1) | 00 0(0) | 02 0(0) | 03 0(1) |
| 25 | Hasney Aljofree | Defender | 02 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 02 0(0) |
| 26 | Greg Strong | Defender | 00 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 01 0(1) | 01 0(1) |
| 27 | John Salako | Midfielder | 00 0(7) | 00 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 00 0(7) |
| 28 | Franz Carr | Midfielder | 00 0(5) | 00 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 00 0(5) |
| 29 | Gaetano Giallanza | Striker | 00 0(3) | 00 0(0) | 00 0(0) | 00 0(3) |

## Top scorers

| P | Player | Position | PL | FAC | LC | Total |
| 1 | Nathan Blake | Striker | 12 | 0 | 2 | 14 |
| 2 | Alan Thompson | Midfielder | 09 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 3= | Per Frandsen | Midfielder | 02 | 0 | 1 | 03 |
| 3= | Dean Holdsworth | Striker | 03 | 0 | 0 | 03 |
| 3= | Bob Taylor | Striker | 03 | 0 | 0 | 03 |