List of Bolton Wanderers F.C. records and statistics
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Bolton Wanderers F.C. are an English professional association football club based in Horwich, Bolton. The club was founded as Christ Church F.C. in 1874, making them one of the oldest football clubs in England, and turned professional in 1877, before joining the Football League as founder members in 1888. Bolton Wanderers currently play in English Football League, the third tier of English football. They were relegated from the top tier (where they had been since 2001) in 2012 but in their time as a professional club have played in all four professional English leagues.
This list encompasses the major honours won by Bolton Wanderers and records set by the club, their managers and their players. The player records section includes details of the club's leading goalscorers and those who have made most appearances in first-team competitions. It also records notable achievements by Bolton Wanderers players on the international stage, and the highest transfer fees paid and received by the club. The club's attendance records, both at The Reebok Stadium, their home since 1997, and Burnden Park, their home between 1895 and 1997, are also included in the list.
The club have won the FA Cup four times, but not since 1958,[1] and have spent the majority of their history in the top flight of English football. Bolton also hold the record for the most years in the top flight of English football without winning the title; 73 years in total. The club's record appearance maker is Eddie Hopkinson, who made 578 appearances between his debut in 1952 and retirement in 1970, and the club's record goalscorer is Nat Lofthouse, who scored 285 goals in 503 games between 1946 and 1960.
All stats accurate as of end of 2018–19 season.
Honours and achievements
League
- Second Division / Championship (level 2)
- Third Division / League One (level 3)
- Fourth Division / League Two (level 4)
Cup
- FA Charity Shield
- Winners: 1958
- Football League War Cup
- Winners: 1945
Reserves, youth, and others
- Premier League Asia Trophy (1) – 2005
- Peace Cup Runners up (1) – 2007
- Carlsberg Cup (1) – 2010
- Lancashire Senior Cup (13) – 1886, 1891, 1912, 1922, 1925, 1927, 1932, 1934, 1939 (shared with Preston North End), 1948, 1989, 1991, 2025
- Central League (2) – 1955, 1995
- Premier Reserve League North (1) – 2006–07
- Manchester Senior Cup (3) 1922, 1963, 2015
- Professional Development League North (1) – 2017–18
- Professional Development League National (1) – 2017–18
- EFL Youth Alliance North (1): 2024–25
- EFL Youth Alliance National (1): 2024–25
- LFA Youth Cup (1): 2024–25
Players
All current players are in bold
Appearances
- Youngest first-team player: Ray Parry 15 years 267 days (v. Wolves, 13 October 1951).
- Oldest first-team player: Peter Shilton 45 years 239 days (v. Wolves, 15 May 1995).
- Most consecutive League appearances: 161 – Jim McDonagh, 2 October 1976 – 3 May 1980[2]
Most appearances
Competitive matches only.
| # | Name | Career | Appearances |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Eddie Hopkinson | 1952–1970 | 578 |
| 2 | Roy Greaves | 1965–1980 | 575 |
| 3 | Alex Finney | 1922–1937 | 530 |
| 3 |  Jussi Jääskeläinen | 1997–2012 | 530 |
| 5 | Warwick Rimmer | 1960–1975 | 528 |
| 6 | Bryan Edwards | 1947–1965 | 518 |
| 7 |  Ted Vizard | 1910–1931 | 512 |
| 8 | Paul Jones | 1970–1983 | 506 |
| 9 | Nat Lofthouse | 1946–1960 | 503 |
| 10 | Roy Hartle | 1952–1966 | 499 |
Goalscorers
- Most league goals in a season: Joe Smith, 38 goals in 1920–21 season.
- Most goals scored in a match: 5
- Billy Struthers v Bootle, 4 November 1882
- James Cassidy v Sheffield United 1 February 1890
- Tony Caldwell v Walsall 10 September 1983[3]
Top goalscorers
Competitive matches only.
| # | Name | Years | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nat Lofthouse | 1946–1960 | 285 |
| 2 | Joe Smith | 1908–1927 | 277 |
| 3 | David Jack | 1920–1928 | 161 |
| 4 | Jack Milsom | 1929–1937 | 153 |
| 5 | Ray Westwood | 1928–1947 | 144 |
| 6 |  Willie Moir | 1945–1955 | 134 |
| 7 | John Byrom | 1966–1976 | 130 |
| 8 | Harold Blackmore | 1927–1932 | 122 |
| 9 | Neil Whatmore | 1973–19811982–19831983–19841987–1988 | 121 |
| 10 | John McGinlay | 1992–1997 | 118 |
International
- Most capped player: Ricardo Gardner, 72 caps for Jamaica as a Bolton Wanderers player. 37 of his (then) 109 caps coming in 1997 and 1998 prior to signing with Bolton. He made three more after leaving in 2012.
- First player to play in a World Cup: Nat Lofthouse for England against Belgium on 17 June 1954.
- Most World Cup goals: Nat Lofthouse, 3 (1958).
World Cup participants
This section lists all players who have played in a World Cup Finals game whilst playing for Bolton Wanderers F.C.
European Championship participants
This section lists all players who have played in a European Championship Finals game whilst playing for Bolton Wanderers F.C.
| Name | Nationality | Euros |
|---|---|---|
| Stelios Giannakopoulos |  Greece |
2004 2008 |
Record transfer fees
Paid
Bolton Wanderers's record signing is Johan Elmander, who signed for the club from Toulouse for £8.2 million in June 2008. The transfer also included Daniel Braaten, with that reportedly making the transfer worth 11m. This beat the previous record of £8.0 million, which the club paid Fenerbahce for Nicolas Anelka in 2006.
| # | Name | Fee | From | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Johan Elmander | £8.2m (+player)[a] |  Toulouse | June 2008 | [5] |
| 2 | Nicolas Anelka | £8.0m |  Fenerbahçe | August 2006 | [6] |
| 3= | Gary Cahill | £5.0m | Aston Villa | January 2008 | [7] |
| 3= | Fabrice Muamba | £5.0m | Birmingham City | June 2008 | [8] |
| 5= |  El Hadji Diouf | £4.0m | Liverpool | June 2005 | [9] |
| 5= | David Ngog | £4.0m | Liverpool | August 2011 | [10] |
| 7= |  Grétar Steinsson | £3.5m |  AZ Alkmaar | January 2008 | [11] |
| 7= | Dean Holdsworth | £3.5m | Wimbledon | October 1997 | [12] |
| 7= | Matthew Taylor | £3.5m | Portsmouth | January 2008 | [13] |
- The transfer also included Daniel Braaten, with it reported to have made the overall transfer equal to 11m.[4]
Progression of record fee paid
The club's first £1,000 transfer came in 1911, when they signed Alf Bentley from Derby County. They made their first £100,000 signing in 1978 with the transfer of Alan Gowling from Newcastle United for £120,000 and their first £1,000,000 transfer when they signed Gerry Taggart from Barnsley in 1995.
| Date | Player | Bought from | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1911 | Alf Bentley | Derby County | £1,000 |
| 1920 | David Jack | Plymouth Argyle | £3,500 |
| 1921 | Dick Pym | Exeter City | £5,000 |
| 1928 | Jack McClelland | Middlesbrough | £6,800 |
| 1948 | Jim Hernon | Leicester City | £14,850 |
| 1951 | Harold Hassall | Huddersfield Town | £27,000 |
| 1967 | Gareth Williams | Cardiff City | £50,000 |
| 1967 | Terry Wharton | Wolverhampton Wanderers | £70,000 |
| 1977 | Frank Worthington | Leicester City | £90,000 |
| 1978 | Alan Gowling | Newcastle United | £120,000 |
| 1978 | Neil McNab | Tottenham Hotspur | £250,000 |
| 1979 | Len Cantello | West Bromwich Albion | £350,000 |
| 1994 | Fabian de Freitas | FC Volendam | £400,000 |
| 1995 | Chris Fairclough | Leeds United | £500,000 |
| 1995 |  Gerry Taggart | Barnsley | £1,500,000 |
| 1997 | Robbie Elliott | Newcastle United | £2,500,000 |
| 1997 | Dean Holdsworth | Wimbledon | £3,500,000 |
| 2005 | El Hadji Diouf | Liverpool | £4,000,000 |
| 2006 | Nicolas Anelka | Fenerbahçe | £8,000,000 |
| 2008 | Johan Elmander | Toulouse | £8,250,000 (+player)[a] |
Received
The largest fee that Bolton Wanderers have received for one of their players was the £15million that Chelsea paid for the services of Nicolas Anelka during the transfer window of January 2008. Four years later, Bolton received their second largest transfer fee, also from Chelsea, for defender Gary Cahill.
| # | Name | Fee | From | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nicolas Anelka | £15.0m | Chelsea | January 2008 | [15] |
| 2 | Gary Cahill | £7.0m | Chelsea | January 2012 | [16] |
| 3 | Gary Madine | £6.0m | Cardiff City | January 2018 | [17] |
| 4= |  Jason McAteer | £4.5m | Liverpool | September 1995 | [18] |
| 4= | Alan Thompson | £4.5m | Aston Villa | June 1998 | [19] |
| 6 | Nathan Blake | £4.25m | Blackburn Rovers | October 1998 | [20] |
| 7= |  Saša Ćurčić | £4.0m | Aston Villa | August 1996 | [21] |
| 7= |  Claus Jensen | £4.0m | Charlton Athletic | July 2000 | [22] |
| 7= | Eiður Guðjohnsen | £4.0m | Chelsea | July 2000 | [23] |
| 7= | Kevin Nolan | £4.0m | Newcastle United | January 2009 | [24] |
| 7= |  Ali Al-Habsi | £4.0m | Wigan Athletic | July 2011 | [25] |
Club records
League highs and lows
- Most points in a season: 98 in 46 matches, First Division, 1996–97.
- Most home wins in a season: 18, 1924–25, 1972–73, 1992–93, 1996–97.
- Most home draws in a season: 11, 1979–80.
- Most home losses in a season: 15, 2018–19.
- Most home goals scored in a season: 63, 1934–35.
- Most home goals conceded in a season: 39, 2011–12.
- Most away wins in a season: 14, 2000–01 (15 including playoff final).
- Most away draws in a season: 10, 1986–87, 1996–97, 1998–99.
- Most away losses in a season: 19, 2015–16.
- Most away goals scored in a season: 40, 1996–97 (41 2000–01 including playoffs).
- Most away goals conceded in a season: 59, 1932–33.
- Most wins in a season: 28, 1996–97.
- Most draws in a season: 17, 1991–92.
- Most losses in a season: 30, 2018–19.
- Most goals scored in a season: 100 in 46 matches, First Division, 1996–97, including 2 own goals.[26][27]
- Most goals conceded in a season: 92, 1932–33.
- Fewest home wins in a season: 4, 2011–12, 2018–19, 2019–20 (If including Cup matches, then only 2018–19 and 2019–20 with 5 wins each, 2011–12 has 7)
- Fewest home draws in a season: 0, 1988–89, 1890–91, 1904–05.
- Fewest home losses in a season: 0, 1910–11, 1920–21.
- Fewest home goals scored in a season: 18, 1893–94, 1897–98, 1902–03, 2018–19
- Fewest home goals conceded in a season: 7, 1899–90.
- Fewest away wins in a season: 0, 1949–50, 1979–80, 2015–16.
- Fewest away draws in a season: 0, 1889–90, 1891–92.
- Fewest away losses in a season: 3, 1899–90, 1904–05, 1996–97.
- Fewest away goals scored in a season: 10, 1897–98.
- Fewest away goals conceded in a season: 16, 1904–05.
- Fewest wins in a season: 5, 1979–80.
- Fewest draws in a season: 1, 1889–90, 1890–91.
- Fewest losses in a season: 4, 1899–90, 1996–97.
- Fewest goals scored in a season: 27, 1897–98.
- Fewest goals conceded in a season: 25, 1899–90.
- Highest sum of best scores in different competitions: 20 in 2023–24 (8 in EFL trophy v Man Utd U21 (26 September), 7 in League 1 v Exeter City, 5 in FA Cup (25 November) v Harrogate T. (2 December)
Matches
Record wins
- Record League home win: 8–0 (v. Barnsley, 6 October 1934).
- Record League away win: 7–1 (v. Aston Villa, 26 December 1914).
- Record FA Cup home win: 13–0 (v. Sheffield United second round, 1 February 1890).
- Record FA Cup away win: 5–1 (v. Charlton Athletic third round, 14 January 1933).
- Record League Cup home win: 6–1 (v. Tottenham Hotspur fourth round, 27 November 1996).
- Record League Cup away win: 4–0 (v. Rochdale second round, 10 October 1973).
- Record Premier League home win: 5–0 (v. Stoke City, 6 November 2011.
- Record Premier League away win: 5–0 (v. Leicester City, 18 August 2001).
- Record competitive win: 14–0 (v. Wigan A.F.C., Lancashire Senior Cup first round, 9 October 1886).[28]
Record defeats
- Record League home defeat:
- 0–6 (v. Manchester United, 25 February 1996).
- Record League away defeat:
- 0–7 (v. Burnley, Division One, 1 March 1890).
- 0–7 (v. Sheffield Wednesday, Division One, 1 March 1915).
- 0–7 (v. Manchester City, Division One, 21 March 1936).
- Record FA Cup home defeat:
- 0–5 (v. Bristol City, Round One, 7 February 1903).
- 0–5 (v. Manchester City, Round Five, 20 February 1937).
- Record FA Cup away defeat: 1–9 (v. Preston North End, Round Two, 10 December 1887).
- Record League Cup home defeat: 0–6 (v. Chelsea, Round Four replay, 8 November 1971).
- Record League Cup away defeat: 0–6 (v. Tottenham Hotspur, Round Five, 11 December 2001).
- Record Premier League home defeat: 0–6 (v. Manchester United, 25 February 1996).
- Record Premier League away defeat: 2–6 (v. Manchester City, 18 October 2003).
- Record loss at Wembley: 0–5 (v. Stoke City, 17 April 2011).
Record draws
- Highest scoring League draw:
- 4–4 (v. Blackburn Rovers, Division One, 8 December 1888).
- 4–4 (v. Stoke City, Division One, 15 October 1892).
- 4–4 (v. Middlesbrough, Division One, 9 December 1905).
- 4–4 (v. West Ham United, Division One, 26 March 1927).
- 4–4 (v. Portsmouth, Division One, 23 February 1929).
- 4–4 (v. West Bromwich Albion, Division One, 18 March 1980).
- 4–4 (v. Bradford City, Division Three, 17 September 1991).
- Highest scoring FA Cup draw: 5–5 (v. Eagley, Round One, 22 October 1881).
- Highest scoring League Cup draw: 4–4 after extra time (v. Oldham Athletic, Round One, Second Leg, 4 September 1984).
- Highest scoring Premier League draw:
- 3–3 (v. Derby County, 14 December 1997).
- 3–3 (v. Manchester City, 12 December 2009).
Most consecutive
- Wins: 11. (v. Gainsborough Trinity, 10 November 1904) – (v. Barnsley, 20 January 1905).
- Home wins: 13. (v. Gainsborough Trinity, 12 November 1910) – (v. Chelsea, 26 April 1911).
- Away wins: 5. (v. Doncaster Rovers, 14 December 1904) – (v. Burnley, 22 January 1905) and (v. Fleetwood Town, 11 March 2017) – (v. Southend United, 4 April 2017)
- Draws: 6. (v. Manchester City, 25 January 1913) – (v. Derby County, 8 March 1913).
- Losses: 11. (v. Sheffield United, 7 April 1902) – (v. Wolverhampton Wanderers, 18 October 1902).
- Home Losses: 7. (v. Sunderland, 7 May 2011) – (v. Sunderland, 22 October 2011).
- Away Losses: 15. (v. Brentford, 14 April 1984) – (v. Bradford City, 29 December 1984).
- Games without scoring: 8. (v. Middlesbrough, 9 April 2019) – (v. Coventry City, 10 August 2019).
- Games with scoring: 24.
- (v. Derby County, 8 September 1888) – (v. Everton, 21 September 1889)
- (v. Sheffield United, 22 November 1996) – (v. Oxford United, 12 April 1997).
- Games without losing: 23. (v. Bury, 13 October 1990) – (v. Fulham, 9 March 1991).
- Home games without losing: 27. (v. Sheffield United, 24 April 1920) – (v. Huddersfield Town, 24 September 1921).
- Away games without losing: 11. (v. Doncaster Rovers, 10 December 1904) – (v. West Bromwich Albion, 22 April 1905).
- Games without a draw: 34. (v. Newcastle United, 26 February 2011) – (v. Wolverhampton Wanderers, 31 December 2011) including 2 FA Cup games and 3 League Cup games.
- Games without a win: 26. (v. Sheffield United, 7 April 1902) – (v. West Bromwich Albion, 10 January 1903).
- Home games without a win: 12. (v. Sheffield Wednesday, 12 March 2019 – Rochdale, 19 October 2019).
- Away games without a win: 28. (v. Everton, 16 April 1979) – (v. Oldham Athletic, 27 September 1980).
- Games without conceding: 7. (v. Woolwich Arsenal, 24 February 1900) – (v. Chesterfield, 14 April 1900) and (v. Charlton Athletic, 28 October 2023) – (v. Oxford United, 28 November 2023)
- Games with conceding: 27. (v. Sheffield United, 7 April 1902) – (v. Notts County, 17 January 1903).
Attendances
- Highest attendance at a home match (Burnden Park): 69,912 (v. Manchester City, FA Cup Fifth Round, 18 February 1933).
- Highest attendance at a home match (Reebok Stadium): 28,353 (v. Leicester City, Premier League, 28 December 2003).
- Lowest attendance at a home match (Burnden Park): 1,507 (v. Rochdale, Football League Trophy, 10 December 1991).
- Lowest attendance at a home match (Reebok Stadium): 1,540 (v. Everton U21, Football League Trophy First Round, Group Stage, Match One, 30 August 2019). (not counting behind closed doors games)
- Highest attendance at a FA Cup match (Wembley Stadium (1923)): 126,047 (official) (v. West Ham, FA Cup Final, 28 April 1923). Some estimates of attendance exceed 300,000.
- Highest attendance at a League Cup match (Wembley Stadium (1923)): 75,595 (v. Liverpool, League Cup Final, 2 April 1995).
- Highest attendance at an EFL Trophy match: 79,389 (v. Plymouth Argyle, 2023 EFL Trophy final, Wembley Stadium, 2 April 2023).
Bolton Wanderers in Europe
Below is Bolton Wanderers' record in Europe. As of 2008 they have appeared in the UEFA Cup twice, losing only two games in the process.
| Bolton Wanderers in Europe | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Competition | Round | Country | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate | |
| 2005–06 | UEFA Cup | First round |  |
Lokomotiv Plovdiv | 2–1 | 2–1 | 4–2 | |
| Group H |  |
Sevilla | 1–1 | N/a | 3rd | |||
 |
Zenit Saint Petersburg | 1–0 | N/a | |||||
|
Beşiktaş | N/a | 1–1 | |||||
 |
Vitória de Guimarães | N/a | 1–1 | |||||
| Round of 32 | |
Marseille | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–2 | |||
| 2007–08 | UEFA Cup | First round |  |
Rabotnički | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | |
| Group F |  |
Bayern Munich | N/a | 2–2 | 3rd | |||
|
Braga | 1–1 | N/a | |||||
|
Aris | 1–1 | N/a | |||||
 |
Red Star Belgrade | N/a | 1–0 | |||||
| Round of 32 | |
Atlético Madrid | 1–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | |||
| Round of 16 | |
Sporting CP | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | |||
Notes
- The transfer also included Daniel Braaten, with it reported to have made the overall transfer equal to 11m.[14]