Bolton Wanderers v Inter Milan: Archive match, August 2004

This week, in the spirit of Fiorentina’s visit to the Toughsheet Stadium last night, we turn the clock back to 2004 as Sam Allardyce’s side welcomed the great Inter Milan and gave debut to some legends of their own.

Gary Speed played his first game in a Bolton shirt against Inter Milan (Image: PA)

THE summer of 2004 might well be a contender for the greatest transfer window in the history of Bolton Wanderers.

Twenty years ago, nearly 15,000 fans ventured to the Reebok in the hope of seeing some of the club’s new signings for the very first time.

Friendly opponents, Roberto Mancini’s Inter were a draw, of course, boasting players like Adriano, Juan Sebastien Veron, Dejan Stankovic, Esteban Cambiasso and Edgar Davids – the Dutchman who was on Sam Allardyce’s shopping list just a few weeks earlier.

But the real excitement was reserved for the seven players Big Sam had brought through the door, many of whom would prove astute additions in a golden Premier League era for the club.

At the top of the list, Real Madrid legend Fernando Hierro. The Spaniard had turned down the chance to come to Bolton a year earlier, preferring at the time to move from the spotlight of the Bernabeu to the lucrative backwaters of Qatar. But the lure of playing in England proved too much to resist.

Fernando Hierro on the Bolton Wanderers bench (Image: PA)

"It was very tough to be leaving Real Madrid,” Hierro had said on the eve of the Inter game. “There were quite a few things going on at that time, which made that departure quite difficult.

"I had a lot of time to think about the situation, and eventually decided I would go to Qatar.

"Things didn't work out for one reason or another. However, even though it's a year later than it should have been, I'm now in a position to thank Sam Allardyce for giving me the opportunity to play in the Premiership.

"I'm making a fresh start. I'm almost erasing the past. Fourteen years with Madrid and one in Qatar are all irrelevant now.

"My main objective is to give a good account of myself in my time here at Bolton, and that started two days ago."

Hierro was not the only veteran signed by Wanderers that summer. Gary Speed had cost £750,000 from Newcastle United at the age of 34 – but the Welshman would pay back his transfer fees with interest in what proved a glorious autumn in his playing career.

Allardyce had voiced his shock at being able to sign Brazilian Julio Cesar on a free transfer after he ended his contract with Valladolid. The 25-year-old, also once of Real Madrid, arrived at a time when Wanderers were considering a shift from the back four which had helped establish them in the top-flight, towards a back three.

Two other defensive signings arguably made a bigger splash – Tunisian Radhi Jaidi would become a cult hero, and a menace at set pieces, and cultured Israeli Tal Ben Haim would quickly become a mainstay in the starting line-up, even though he missed out on the Inter game as he sorted out personal affairs back home.

Another veteran, Les Ferdinand, was also recovering from knee surgery – the highlight of his short spell at Bolton a 90th minute goal against Manchester United, which really should have been a winner.

Michael Bridges failed to make an impact for Wanderers (Image: PA)

Striker Michael Bridges was the only new addition who failed to make an impression, returning to former club Sunderland after just two months, having failed to break into the starting line-up once.

Inter’s class on the day was hard to miss. Second-half sub Adriano had recently been top-scorer for Brazil at the Copa America, and after twice bringing the best out of Jussi Jaaskelainen, it was his 66th minute goal that settled the friendly.

Davids also wasted a big chance to double the Italian’s lead after replacing Andy Van der Meyde but Wanderers too had chances to score, Jay Jay Okocha, Kevin Davies and replacement Bedi Buval all getting a sight of Francesco Toldo’s goal.

Hierro replaced Ivan Campo with half an hour to go, hinting at Big Sam’s plan to play him as a deep-lying midfielder rather than a centre-half, but the main talking point was a new 5-3-2 system which employed Nicky Hunt and Ricardo Gardner as wing-backs, partnering Davies alongside Bridges up front.

“I wanted to see if the system suited the team," said Big Sam. "It didn't look bad at all in the first half. I was relatively comfortable with how we performed in a system that is strange to us but one which, maybe, we will need to use during the season."

Wanderers: Jaaskelainen; Jaidi, N'Gotty, Cesar; Hunt, Okocha, Campo (Hierro 70), Speed, Gardner; Davies (Buval 87), Bridges (Shakes 70).

Internazionale: Toldo (Fontana 84); Zanetti (Soronda 68), Cordoba (Coco 68), Materazzi, Favelli (Pasquale 60); Van Der Meyde (Davids 60), Veron (Farinos 75), Cambiasso (Zicu 75), Stankovic (Adriano 46); Recoba (Lamouchi 75), Ventola.

Attendance: 14,449.

Gary Speed picks the ball up in midfield for Wanderers (Image: PA)