BRUCE Rioch’s Wanderers were starting to find some promotion pace when Exeter City visited Burnden Park on March 20, 1993.

After a wobble in late January and February, Wanderers had started to regain some form and went into the game having won three out of their last four, only dropping points in a frustrating goalless draw at home to second-placed Port Vale.

Sitting sixth at start of play but with games in hand on Leyton Orient, Stockport County and West Brom above them, the Whites made short work of their visitors from Devon in front of 6,819 supporters.

It looked anything but routine when after just four minutes Steve Moran put the visitors in front, Jason Minett picking up David Burke’s poor clearance and sending the striker away to slot the ball past Keith Branagan from the edge of the penalty area.

Wanderers were stung into a response, Jason McAteer bringing a good save out of Alan Miller, then Mark Patterson teeing up David Lee, whose shot bounced off the crossbar.

McAteer then tested Miller again with a shot saved at full stretch, shortly after Minett had driven a low cross right along the Bolton goal-line, having been released on the left by Ronnie Jepson.

Bolton did pull level on 24 minutes, Patterson finding Walker in space on the right and his pin-point cross finding fellow Scot John McGinlay – who had made his club debut against Exeter earlier that season – to head home from close range.

Walker then grabbed a goal for himself shortly before half time, turning cleverly on to a pass from Tony Kelly to angle a shot into the bottom corner, and taking his season’s tally to 28.

Five minutes after half time the front two combined yet again, Walker feeding McGinlay to fire home past Miller to give Bolton a two-goal cushion.

McGinlay could have had a hat-trick, chesting down a good cross from Lee on the right and dipping a shot just over the crossbar with the keeper beaten.

The rout was completed just before the hour mark, however, as a handball from Alan Tonge was punished ruthlessly by Kelly’s dead-eye right boot, the free kick smashed around the wall to give Bolton a comfortable win.

All thoughts of football would soon subside, however, as the sad news began to filter through from Warrington that two bombs had exploded earlier that afternoon, injuring 56 people and eventually claiming the lives of two children.

The attacks were later claimed by the Provisional IRA and the tragedy would later provide the inspiration for the Cranberries’ protest song, Zombie.

The game’s referee was Stephen Lodge, who four years later would famously fail to spot a header from Gerry Taggart had crossed the line against Everton at the newly opened Reebok Stadium. Famously dubbed ‘The Goal That Never Was’ there remains a widely held theory to this day that the dropped points eventually cost Bolton their place in the Premier League.

Wanderers: Branagan, Brown, Burke, Lee, Seagraves, Stubbs, Kelly, McAteer, Walker, McGinlay, Patterson. Subs: Darby, Green.