Remembering Bolton Wanderers' FA Cup first round history

League Two Walsall will host Bolton in November in what will be the second meeting between the two clubs in the FA Cup, the first being five years ago at the third round stage when Josh Magennis hit a hat-trick in a 5-2 victory at the Macron.

Clayton Donaldson also got on the scoresheet for the Whites, with Saddlers defender Jon Guthrie adding the fifth via an own goal in what proved a rare win for Phi Parkinson’s side in a troubled campaign.

Bolton Wanderers' Clayton Donaldson celebrates scoring his side's third goal with team mate Josh Magennis. (Image: CameraSport - Andrew Kearns) Winners on four occasions, three times beaten finalists, four times semi-finalists and seven-times quarter finalists, there are only seven other clubs who have appeared in more FA Cup campaigns than Wanderers, who will be in the FA Cup for the 134th time this year.

Wanderers featured regularly in the first round up until 1925/26, when the structure was altered and First and Second Division clubs entered at the third-round stage.

Bolton Wanderers v Bangor City FA Cup 1971 (Image: Newsquest) They did not play again in the first round until 1971 when Jimmy Armfield’s side took on non-league Bangor City at a snowy Burnden in front of 6,252 fans – goals from John Ritson, Peter Nicholson and Chris Duffey booked a second round tie with Rossendale United.

A year later, third division Chester City proved stubborn opposition at the first hurdle. John Byrom had given Bolton the lead and Garry Jones had hit the post but a late equaliser forced a replay at Sealand Road. This time, Jones’s goal proved decisive.

(Image: Newsquest) Wanderers moved up the division and so would not play another FA Cup first round game until 1983/84, when John McGovern’s side fought out a 2-2 draw at Prenton Park with a penalty from Jeff Chandler and a goal from Warren Joyce.

The replay proved more straightforward, with Chandler scoring twice – one from the spot – alongside Simon Rudge and Tony Caldwell in a 4-1 win.

Wayne Foster’s goal was not enough to prevent a first-round exit in 1984/85 against Hull City and Wanderers failed again in 1985/86, Charlie Wright’s ignominious permanent spell as manager then drawing to a close with a 3-1 home defeat against Wrexham. Steve Thomson scored the Bolton goal.

Replays will not be a feature of this year’s competition from the first round onwards, but back in 1986/87 it took two games to dispense with Halifax Town – the job done eventually after going a goal down away from home, the fightback started by Thompson and completed by Caldwell and Mark Gavin.

John Thomas’s penalty helped Wanderers through as a fourth division club for the first time in 1987, beating Burnley.

After promotion, Wanderers beat Chesterfield at the second attempt – Ian Stevens, Stuart Storer and Julian Darby netting in a 3-1 win at Psaltergate.

In 1989/90, Dean Crombie’s goal was only a consolation in a 2-1 defeat at Blackpool in the first round – the last time the Whites would bow out of the FA Cup at the first attempt in another 29 years.

Bolton’s first FA Cup game of the 1990s attracted the Match of the Day cameras as non-league Witton Albion hosted Phil Neal’s side hoping to cause an upset.

Julian Darby – caked in mud – and Paul Comstive ensured there was no drama, although Karl Thomas managed to grab a late to please the 3,790 at Wincham Park, which would soon host Conference football (tier five) for the first time.

Bolton Wanderers v Sutton Coldfield FA Cup 1991/1992 (Image: Newsquest) In 1991/92 Wanderers faced another non-league tie, and would this time play Emley at Huddersfield Town’s Leeds Road. Again, they avoided problems as David Reeves scored twice inside the first hour to settle the nerves before Tony Philliskirk turned in Tony Kelly’s free kick at the near post for the third.

The arrival of Bruce Rioch as manager had just started to have a positive effect on results by the time Sutton Coldfield came to Burnden in November 1992.

Led by ex-Wanderers favourite Barry Cowdrill, the Midlanders put up a good fight, but goals from Reeves and Andy Walker booked a place in round two at Rochdale in what would eventually be a legendary season in the cup.

And though Bolton were promoted under Rioch they still competed in the 1993/94 first round, once again drawing non-league opposition in Gretna.

Although they were drawn as the home side, Gretna opted to play the game at Burnden to guarantee themselves a £20,000 payday. And after taking a 2-1 lead inside 25 minutes it looked like a shock could be on the cards.

Owen Coyle scores against Gretna in the 1993 FA Cup first round (Image: Newsquest) Wanderers only found the breakthrough 11 minutes from full-time when Owen Coyle spared embarrassment with two late goals, without which a run to the quarter final would never have got going.

That proved Burnden’s last-ever FA Cup first round game, as more than two decades later a new stadium hosted the 2016 meeting between Phil Parkinson’s Bolton and League Two Grimsby Town. Liam Trotter’s header settled a close-fought game in front of 6,649 fans.

Liam Trotter heads the only goal of the game for Wanderers against Grimsby in the 2016/17 FA Cup first round (Image: Camerasport) Thus started a poor run of FA Cup football for the Whites as Keith Hill’s side were beaten 1-0 by Plymouth Argyle in 2019, then Ian Evatt’s team knocked out by Crewe 12 months later in front of an empty stadium during Covid restrictions.

Fans returned in force in 2021/22 after Covid and the gate of 11,183 for the visit of Stockport County remains the biggest at this stage of the competition. After a 2-2 draw the replay was televised by the BBC and saw an embarrassing 5-3 exit, having led 3-1 against the then-National League outfit.

Will Forrester celebrates scoring for Wanderers against Solihull Moors in the 2023/24 FA Cup first round (Image: Camerasport) Another first hurdle exit followed against Barnsley in 2022/23, Ricardo Santos’s own goal and an Adam Phillips goal enough to make Jon Dadi Bodvarsson’s late effort redundant.

But Ian Evatt finally got off the mark last season as his side beat non-league Solihull Moors 4-0 with goals from Santos, Paris Maghoma, Will Forrester and Dion Charles in front of 5,523 fans.