September 21

ARSENAL 2, Wanderers 1

Kanu 93 minutes

HARD luck stories do not come much tougher to take than this.

A fluke goal by Gareth Farrelly saw Wanderers sitting on a point at the end of 90 minutes despite battling out the last 10 minutes without the sent off Ivan Campo, a red card that was later rescinded.

But just as a late goal had sunk them against Liverpool seven days earlier, all Wanderers' good work against counted for nothing when Kanu popped up in a goalmouth melee to prod in a 93rd minute winner, the validity of which was later questioned by a Wanderers camp which felt distinctly hard done by.

November 23

WANDERERS 1, CHELSEA 1

Hasselbaink 90 minutes

THIS game typified Wanderers' season.

They proved themselves to be a match for any team in the Premiership only to blow it in the final minutes.

Henrik Pedersen put Wanderers ahead and an excellent display of controlled attacking football had the star-studded London side rocking and the Reebok roaring its delight.

It seemed to good to be true and it was as, with clock ticking into the 90th minute Zola produced the cross for Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink to provide the textbook near post glancing header to snatch yet another two points from Wanderers' grasp right at the death.

December 7

WANDERERS 1, BLACKBURN 1

Short 95 minutes

SURELY not even Wanderers could lose this one!

A typically stunning piece of work by Jay-Jay Okocha put Wanderers ahead and three points were theirs for the taking.

Four minutes of injury were flagged up, they came and went without incident and in the 96th and last minute of the game Rovers staged a counter attack which ended with the ball crossed in from the right and centre half Craig Short, of all people, dived in for his first goal of the season.

February 8

WEST BROM 1, WANDERERS 1

Johnson, 92 minutes

THIS was one game Wanderers really could have done with curing their late goal habit.

Unfortunately the jinx had set in deeply and struck again in the second of three injury time minutes.

When Sean Gregan hit a hopeful ball into the Wanderers box Danny Dichio got the flick on and Andy Johnson slot home the loose ball.

The two extra points Henrik Pedersen's goal would have earned, combined with the one less West Brom would have finished with, would have been a massive boost to the Whites and Sam Allardyce had had enough.

He said his players had not listened, had failed to heed his advice and put into practice the work they had done on the training ground, specifically to see games out and he criticised their lack of professionalism.

February 22

WANDERERS 1, MANCHESTER UNITED 1

Solskjaer, 90 minutes

'WILL they ever learn?' was the headline screaming out of the Bolton Evening News match report page after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer swooped to crash home a 90th minute leveller.

It summed up the frustration which has increased to fever pitch both within the Wanderers camp and on the terraces.

It was not entirely their fault, however, as video evidence clearly showed both provider David Beckham and scorer Solskjaer were offside.

It was more a hard luck story than poor defending but that was no consolation as Bolton players and fans had to come to terms with their sixth last gasp goal conceded which brought the tally of points dropped in the last seconds to a mighty 10.

And, coming against their old derby rivals made it all the more difficult to stomach.