2021/22 Prediction League Game 44; v Bolton Wanderers (away)

Div3North · 17-04-2022, 22:05

Bolton Wanderers FC

v

Accrington Stanley FC

2021/22 Prediction League Game 43; v The Bolton PigsfeetMen

For those of you who've been showing off to your mates since I mentioned the longest-ever penalty shoot-out in the UK (Old Wulfrunians beating Lane Head 19-18 (44 pens attempted) in the JW Hunt Cup, when the Chairman Simon Marsh missed half the spot kicks because he had to nip down the chippie to get the supper), I have some bad news ....... Firstly, that wasn't the World Record - in the Namibian Cup in 2005 there was a 48-penalty shoot out (KK Palace beating Civics 17-16) - and Secondly, it's been beaten ......

Date; 9th March 2022 ...... Place; The Ford Football Hub in Sunderland ..... Teams; Washington v Bedlington Terriers, both from the Ebac Northern League .... Score after 90 mins: 3-3, in the Ernest Armstrong Memorial Cup ........ Total number of penalties taken: 54 ...... Number scored; 49 ............ Result: Washington 25 Bedlington Terriers 24 .....

BUT (Starter for Ten); what happened immediately after the winning penalty was scored that could have been very embarrassing?

I often mention - I did it a couple of games back - players in the other team's squad who have, at some time, played for us; so, Toto Nsiala, Callum Johnson and Brad Halliday at Floatwood a week back............... But that gets you to wondering, "what's the greatest number players who've played (in the same game, together) against a team that they'd all played FOR at some earlier point in time?" And the surprising answer is this week's first Starter for Ten .....

Having almost gone bust in 2008, The League of Ireland side Drogheda United ended up throwing together a cheap squad for the 2009 season, signing players from - I presume - various sources, including local rivals Dundalk FC; so when Dundalk and Drogheda met in the 2009 season, how many ex-Dundalk players started the match for Drogheda or came on as subs during the game, and which team actually won the match?

Changing the subject, who remembers Lee Dixon, FB who played for Arsenal, and prior to that - at the start of his career - for Chester City (then in the League, of course, since this is 1983/84?) And even more, who remembers Scottish MF Eddie Kelly, who also played for Arsenal, and finished his career at Torquay United, also at the relevant time a League side (1984/86)? They share an almost unique (except it can't be unique if two people do it) Career Record - not together, but both achieved the same feat of excellence; second Starter for Ten ..... what was it?

For The Burnden Story, please see the opener for the reverse fixture thread .... Bolton Wanderers were, of course, founder members of the FL, and have remained there throughout - as had Scunthorpe & Lindsay United, ever-present since first elected in 1950, until Leyton Orient ended The Dream on Friday by confirming the Iron's GreasyPole status after their 72 years in the League, and consigning them to the Fiery Furnace of The Iron Foundry (Gerrit?).... be interesting to see how long it takes them to get back to the EFL (there are 13 ex-League sides in the Bananarama, 9 in the Bananarama North, and one - Maidstone United FC - in the other half of the Bananarama ......... and I know some are Phoenix sides, but the point's fairly made

"Once Upon a Time" - the start of all good Fairy Stories - footie was a simple game; for the recent machinations and stuff that goes on, read this:

"On 28 August 2019, Bolton announced that the club's sale to Football Ventures (Whites) Limited had been completed, with the administrator paying tribute to the Eddie Davies Trust and their legal team, and criticising Ken Anderson who had "used his position as a secured creditor to hamper and frustrate any deal that did not benefit him or suit his purposes." Days later, Keith Hill was announced as the new club manager. He signed nine players before the transfer deadline closed (they had had just three up till then) and his first win came on 22 October, 2–0 against Bristol Rovers, Bolton's first win in 22 matches.

On 21 November 2019, Bolton were handed a five-point deduction, suspended for 18 months, and fined £70,000, half of which was suspended for 18 months, for failure to fulfil two fixtures the previous seasons(against Brentford and Doncaster). The points would not be deducted if Bolton fulfilled all fixtures during the 18-month period. An EFL appeal against what it saw as a "lenient" penalty was rejected by an arbitration panel in January 2020. On 9 June 2020, the EFL League One decided to end the 2019–20 season early due to the COVID-19 pandemic, causing bottom club Bolton to go down to the fourth tier of English football for the first time since 1988 and only the second time in their history. Following relegation, the club announced that Keith Hill and assistant David Flitcroft would leave the club when their contracts expired at the end of June. Barrow manager Ian Evatt was appointed Hill's successor on 1 July 2020. Despite being in 17th place through 24 matches, Bolton orchestrated an impressive season turnaround guided by manager Evatt. They completed the 2020–21 League Two season in third place after a 4–1 win against Crawley Town on the final day – enough to secure automatic promotion to League One – and early in the 2021–22 season settled debts with unsecured creditors to remove the threat of a 15-point deduction.

In January 2022, it was confirmed that the club had received an emergency loan from The Future Fund, a financial support scheme set up during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was subsequently converted into shares of the club, with around 8% of shares now owned by the British Business Bank, an economic development bank developed and run by HM Government".

Famous players include Nat Lofthouse and Dion Charles; infamous players include Nat Lofthouse (for the "Harry Gregg Goal") and Dion Charles (some at the Wham might say)

Incomings in January 2022 were said Dion Charles (reported as £320,000), CM Aaron Morley from Rochdale (quoted as £100,000), Icelandic striker Jón Daði Böðvarsson from Millwall on a free, Rotherham's RofI AMF Kieran Sadlier, and ex Gillingham CM Kyle Dempsey (cited as £150,000) .... they replaced the six released/sold departures, including Romanian Dennis Politic to Cremonese, talisman striker Eoin Doyle to St Pats Ath, GK Matt Gilks, who retired, and the wonderfully named Bright Amoateng, whose cv reads ...

"Amoateng began his career as an academy player for Liverpool. By 2019 he had moved to Bury's academy. Due to Bury's expulsion from the Football League on 27 August, he was one of 140 youth players that were released. He played for Bolton's U23 during March 2020 and was signed as a first year scholar on 4 September after a successful trial with the first team during pre-season for the 2020–21 season. He made his competitive debut on 12 September, coming on as a late substitute for Reiss Greenidge in a 0–1 home defeat against Forest Green Rovers in Bolton's first EFL League Two match of the 2020–21 season. He was released in January 2022."

He only made the one short appearance ............... Bless!

Home record is W10 D7 L4 GF38 GA23, and away it's W8 D3 L11 GF27 GA39, giving them P43 W18 D10 L15 GF65 GA53 for 64 points and 11th place, with no chance of the Playoffs ......... They came to the Wham on 11th December, and went home pointless after a Tommy Leigh goal gave us a stunning 1-0 win! In season 2019/20 we did them 7-1 at home and shared a Goalless Desmond away (as they went down!), and we also put them out of the FL Trophy on December 2019 by 2-0 ............ Never lost to them, then - a record to behold ............ and preserve! Couple another win with a Red Card for Whatsisname, and Our Cup Will For Sure Runneth Over And Then Some, So It Will

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm on Easter Monday, 18th April ........... lots still to play for (for some teams, but not for us - although Salvation is Nirvana to a club the size that we are ........)

And on the World Record Penalty shoot-out, just after Lucas Gamblin netted penalty number 54 to give Washington the win, the Bedlington Manager revealed that the timer controlling the floodlights "timed out" ........... as he put it:

"What made it worse was the last penalty was taken, we hadn't even shook hands with the opposition, and the timer went off so the lights went out at the venue. It's crazy, but what would have happened if we'd scored our last penalty?"

The answer, Andy, is that all the lads would have stood on the touchlines shining their mobile phone torches towards the goal ............ except for the guy with the laser, who'd have pointed his at the goalie!

And as for the League of Ireland, and the Dundalk Rejects who played for The Drogs, Drogheda signed seven of the squad players released by Dundalk in 2008 (Dundalk being originally nicknamed "The Railwaymen" - probably, being Ireland, because there isn't a railway anywhere around); Drogheda (nicknamed "The Drogs, The Claret and Blue Army, or The Super Drogs") already had two ex-Dundalk players on their books .... When they met the following season, The Drogs started with six ex-Dundalk players on the pitch (Steve Williams, Robbie Clarke, Jamie Duffy, Paul Shiels, David O’Connor, Robbie Martin) and two more ex-Dundalk players (Ian Ryan and Robbie Farrell) came off the bench ..... so eight ......... and for good measure, Dundalk featured former Drogheda player Declan O’Brien for a total of nine players playing against their former team.

And Dundalk won 3-0. So they did ........

And Lee Dixon played for Chester when they came bottom of Division Four (1983/84) - 92nd in the FL - and for Arsenal when they won the First Division in 1988/89 (1st in the FL), and Scottish MF Eddie Kelly was part of the Double-Winning side at Highbury in 1971, and achieved another double for Torquay, who came last in DivFour at the end of 1984/85 AND 1985/86 .... and I can't find anyone else who's managed to be "First and Worst" during their career - unless you know better?

Good luck to everyone! ............. Keep the Faith! ............ And thanks for playing!

COYR!