WANDERERS fans looking to reminisce about the good old days can do so thanks to a new book about one of the Whites' finest players of recent times.

Alan Thompson came to the club from Newcastle United in 1993 for £250,000.

He left for Aston Villa a few years later for £5m, but not before he had spent some of the best years of his life in the area and at the club.

Thompson, who narrowly missed out on being voted in a Bolton News poll of the club’s all time greatest eleven, can certainly claim to be etched in Whites history.

He scored the first-ever goal for the team at the-then Reebok Stadium and also their first ever goal in the Premier League.

Midfielder Thompson also scored for the club in a League Cup final against Liverpool.

The 48-year-old explained his motivations for the book, A Geordie Bhoy, and also his special connection to Bolton.

He said: “All my friends have done them over the years. I got the feeling it was time to tell my story.

“I moved to Bolton when I was about 20. It was a great place, very friendly. It was clearly a successful period in Bolton’s history and just to be part of that was great.”

He recalls in the book the time he was arrested on a night out and hoped then-manager Bruce Rioch would not find out.

But his luck was out as the manager had a copy of the front-page Bolton Evening News story on his desk.

Mr Thompson said: “The incident with Bruce Rioch, that’s in the book. I did not need to explain it, he had read the story in the paper.”

But at the same time he praised his former boss.

He said: “You did not want to upset Bruce, he was a disciplinarian, but someone who is well thought of in Bolton. He was a great man. He created a really good working environment around Bolton Wanderers at the time. That is what stood me in good stead for the rest of my career.”

Thompson hopes to see the club back in the top flight again and would gladly return for the occasion.

He said: “I would love to see Premier League football back at the University of Bolton Stadium. With it just being up the road I would be glad to go and watch them. It is a great place, the North West, most clubs should be in the Premier League or at least the Championship.”

The book was written by Jamie Boyle, of WarCry Publishing.

The 41-year-old, from Middlesbrough, who knew Alan Thompson through his Celtic connections, said: “There are lots of tales of Bolton, the town and the people. Every Wanderers fan around the age of 35 or over will know Alan Thompson. He had five of the best years of his life at Bolton Wanderers. They got to a cup final in 1995 and were giant-killers. I spoke to Bruce Rioch, David Lee and Alan Stubbs.”

Funds raised by the book will go to four charities – The Alan Shearer Foundation, The Celtic Foundation, The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and The Ian Watson Charity Fund. The book is available on Amazon and at Waterstones.