40 Years Ago BURNDEN Park was the venue for a summit meeting of nine of Lancashire’s so-called “town” clubs who were desperately looking for solutions to their mounting financial problems.

Bolton Wanderers chiefs were joined by representatives of Burnley, Southport, Oldham, Barrow, Preston, Blackburn, Rochdale and Stockport.

None of those who took part was prepared to say what had transpired at the survival summit that was held under a veil of secrecy.

Security was so tight that the regular Burnden catering staff were replaced by Wanderers officials and when the meeting finally broke up, none of the people who attended was prepared to identify themselves, other than Burnley chairman Bob Lord who confirmed he had been appointed chairman.

“We are going to put various recommendations before the League Management Committee,” Lord said.

“We have had talks on the financial problems facing football in general and the Lancashire clubs in particular.”

Among issues that were under discussion were the introduction of a graded pay scale for players linked to divisions, increased admission charges and a massive pools promotion.

Elsewhere, Ipswich Town chairman John Cobbold had already called for football to become a summer sport with the season running from March to October and claimed: “I have a fair amount of support from other clubs.”

Wanderers, smarting from a 1-0 defeat at Carlisle where Bob Hatton delighted in scoring against his former club, looked like missing out on a £15,000 windfall when striker, John Byrom, turned down the chance of a move to Sheffield Wednesday.

Manchester United sacked team manager Wilf McGuinness just four months after his appointment.

General manager Sir Matt Busby was placed in charge of team affairs for the rest of the season.

After an eight-match run without a win and just a fortnight after United had lost to Third Division Aston Villa in the semi-final of the League Cup, United announced after a specially-convened board meeting that 33-year-old McGuinness had been “relieved of his duties”.

In a prepared statement, Sir Matt said McGuinness had been offered his former position of trainer-coach to the Central League team, which he had accepted.

He added: “The board have asked me to take over all team matters for the time being. A new appointment will be made in the close season.”

McGuinness added: “Obviously it is disappointing to me but managers are judged by results. I have had the full support of the board and Sir Matt and all at the club.

“With a bit of luck we might have been in three cup finals. However that was not to be. I still feel I have a part to play with the club and I am happy to stay.”

10 Years Ago SAM Allardyce’s Wanderers made it a high five when they beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 at the Reebok to go second in the First Division.

Dean Holdsworth and Colin Hendry, pictured, got the goals that made it five wins on the trot and put the Whites into serious promotion contention.

Allardyce was clearly on a mission with Wanderers but that did not prevent him being linked with Wolves who were looking for a new manager to replace Colin Lee who had been sacked the previous week.

Midlands news organisations reckoned Big Sam, a native of the Black Country, was the man to revive Molineux fortunes but although the Bolton boss was becoming increasingly frustrated by the lack of investment in new players, he dismissed the Wolves connection as “pure speculation and complete rubbish”.

Bury returned empty-handed from their Boxing Day trip to Stoke but manager Andy Preece had every justification for claiming “We wuz robbed” after Paul Barnes had given the Shakers an 18th-minute lead.

The turning point came on 63 minutes when the scores were level at 1-1 and Jason Jarret was sent off for an innocent-looking challenge on Stoke’s Andy Cooke.

The Potters made the most of the extra-man advantage when Stoke defender Brynar Gunnarson headed the winner eight minutes from time.

Leigh Centurions won the clash of the heavyweights in rugby league’s NFP with a 25-20 win at Widnes Vikings.

15 Years Ago BOLTON Wanderers were putting on a brave face but a 2-0 home defeat by Leeds United left them facing the harsh fact that their Premier League days were numbered.

Leeds boss Howard Wilkinson had kind words for the team managed jointly by Roy McFarland and Colin Todd, but his acknowledgement that “Bolton’s spirit, energy and commitment were a credit to themselves, their management and supporters” had a rather hollow ring to it.

With just two wins and 10 points from 20 games they were bottom of the table, five points behind second-bottom Coventry and a further point adrift of Manchester City.

Tomas Brolin put Leeds ahead five minutes before half time and another from David Wetherall midway through the second half confirmed Leeds’ superiority.

And there was no sign of life getting any easier for the Wanderers management team with Gerry Taggart facing an automatic suspension after a booking put him over the 21-point disciplinary limit.

With Alan Stubbs already sidelined through injury, the Whites were going into the new year with a centre-back crisis.

At the other end of the Premier League table, Andy Cole made his former Newcastle team-mates pay for all his Manchester United frustrations as he turned the title race into a contest again.

Cole, who scored 68 goals in 84 appearances for Newcastle before his £7million transfer the previous January, scored the goal that put United on course for a 2-0 victory at Old Trafford that clipped the Magpies’ lead to seven points.

United manager Alex Ferguson insisted he had never even considered the giving up on the title race, despite Kevin Keegan’s men threatening to run away with it.

“If it had gone to 13 points it would’ve been very difficult, but we never even contemplated that,” he said.

Meanwhile, Keith Gillespie slammed suggestions that he could be heading back to Old Trafford.

The Northern Ireland winger, who moved to Newcastle in the deal that took Cole to St James’ Park, hit back at reports that he was unhappy on Tyneside.

“The team is playing well and we are top of the league so the reports that suggested I was unhappy are totally untrue,” Gillespie said. “My heart is with Newcastle.”