A while ago, we put out several polls out on Twitter asking for YOUR thoughts on our #BWFCTeamOfTheDecade and this is who you chose...
Goalkeeper: Andy Lonergan
Lonergan joined Bolton in July 2012 and then made his debut in August of that year. Throughout his first few months of joining, he was competing with Adam Bogdan for first choice keeper. His first appearance in front of the then Reebok stadium was in a 2-2 draw against Sunderland which he was named Man of the Match.
The end of 2014 was a particular highlight for Lonergan, who provided an assist for Craig Davies to score the third goal in a 3-1 win against Brentford. Before being named player of the month in December that year.
Lonergan stayed at Bolton until June 2015, in that time he made 61 games for the club and became a cult hero earning the song “Here’s to you Andy Lonergan, Bolton loves you more than you will know…”
Right Back: Gretar Steinsson
Steinsson played from 2010-12 this decade for Wanderers. In the 2010-11 season the Icelandic international made 28 appearances and scored one goal in a 4-2 win against Tottenham Hotspur. In the game Steinsson was up against a certain Gareth Bale, marking him out the game and grabbing a goal for himself at then other end. He was later named in the Sky Sports Team of the Week.
The right back played a further 26 games in the 2011/12 season before leaving in the summer for Turkish side Kayserispor after Bolton’s relegation to the Championship.
Centre back: Gary Cahill:
Cahill was another who only played two seasons this decade for Bolton, but his quality was there for everyone to see. In the 2010/11 season he played 42 games for Wanderers and scored three goals from the back, all of which came in front of the Bolton fans at the Reebok.
He was also the only Bolton player to play for England that year.
The following season saw him play the first half of the season for Wanderers where consistent commanding performances saw him attract attention from all of the big six.
He was sold to Chelsea in January 2012 for £7 million, the highest sale of a player in this decade.
Centre back: David Wheater
David Wheater played 216 times for Bolton over the decade from 2010-2019 in three divisions, making him the most capped player this decade.
He played in the Premier League until the Trotters were relegated, but suffered a ruptured ACL in 2012, ruling him out for nearly a year.
When the club was relegated to League One Wheater signed a one-year contract and at the first attempt, the club returned to the Championship, finishing second.
This was the Centre Backs’ defining year as he was named Bolton Player of the Year, selected in the League One Team of the Season and was also voted PFA Fans’ Sky Bet League One Player of the Year in a year where he scored nine times.
Left Back: Marcos Alonso
Alonso, a technically gifted full back with a wand of a left foot played for Bolton between 2010-2013 this decade, playing 43 times scoring five goals for the club. At the end of the 2012-13 season, Alonso was named The Bolton News’ player of the year with 37% of the vote.
He was eventually sold to Fiorentina before returning to the Premier League, enjoying great success with Chelsea, winning the Premier League and FA Cup once each.
Right Midfield: Lee Chung-Yong
Lee Chung Yong enjoyed great success for Bolton in 2010; he was named Bolton Player of the Year, Players’ Player of the year and best newcomer award. This was after a last gasp winner against Birmingham to win the FA Cup semi final tie to send The Whites to Wembley.
However, after suffering a broken leg he missed the majority of the next season. Lee played for Bolton until 2014, with one season in the Championship, he scored 23 goals for the club and also represented his national side South Korea in two World Cups during his time with Bolton.
He was one of only four South Koreans to play in the Premier League in this decade.
Central Midfield: Stuart Holden
American Stuart Holden was said to be one of the most technically gifted players Bolton have ever had. He played in four injury-hit seasons in the 2010s.
In the 2010-2011 season, Holden helped his side reach seventh in the Premier League and a place in the FA Cup semi-final. A memorable moment was his last minute winner against Blackburn that sent the Reebok into ecstasy
However, his season was cut short in March after a game with Manchester United when a tackle from Jonny Evans left him requiring 26 stitches in his knee, with a fracture of the femur near the joint.
Despite this, Holden was still named Bolton’s Player of the Year.
Following this, Holden suffered more knee injuries that halted his potential and he eventually retired in 2014.
Centre Midfield: Jay Spearing
Spearing originally joined Bolton on loan from Liverpool in the 2012-13 season where he made 36 appearances. That season he was named Bolton Wanderers Supporters’ association (BWSA) Player of the Season and later named the club’s Player of the Season.
Following this he joined permanently and in 2014 he succeeded Zat Knight as club captain, having already held the armband for the majority of the 2013 season.
The Liverpudlian won the Goal of the Month award for the first month of the 2016-17 season, a year that saw Bolton finish second in League One as he led his side to promotion.
Left Midfield: Martin Petrov
Bulgarian winger Martin Petrov played 66 times for Bolton between 2010 and 2013, after joining from Manchester City. His first goal came against Manchester United in September 2010 in a 2-2 draw where he also provided an assist for Zat Knight.
Petrov scored 12 goals over the three seasons he played for Wanderers including a goal in the 5-4 defeat to Peterborough in December 2012. He later moved to Espanyol on a free transfer. Petrov was blessed with a great left foot and his quality meant he was one of the best left sided players to play for Bolton this decade.
Striker: Kevin Davies
Club legend Kevin Davies received a resounding 60.5% of your votes as he also played for three seasons this decade, between 2010 and 2013 he played 121 times for the club, scoring 24 goals in the process.
Davies will be best known for his whole tenure at the club which spanned just over a decade itself.
He was also one of the few Bolton players to be capped for England between 2010-2020 with a cap against Montenegro – with this he became the oldest first England debutant for 60 years.
Davies was the backbone of the team and his tenacity and never say die attitude always shown on the pitch, we had to put the former skipper in our team of the decade.
Striker: Adam Le Fondre
Forming a partnership with Davies is Adam Le Fondre, who scored 21 goals for Bolton in three separate spells spanning from 2015 to 2018.
In his first spell, he joined in January from Cardiff for the remainder of the season and finished the season as Wanderers top scorer despite only playing half the season.
Le Fondre scored a further six goals in another loan spell in 2017 before signing on a free deal where he played for another season, scoring seven more goals.