Sam Allardyce’s Bolton Wanderers finished sixth in the Premier League and qualified for the UEFA Cup for the very first time in their history.bwfc.co.uk takes a look through the archives to look back on a memorable season at the then Reebok Stadium.
November
For all the profitability of the previous month, November proved to be somewhat fallow, with Wanderers picking up two draws and two defeats in their four league fixtures.
Wanderers were denied victory at the Riverside right at the death when George Boateng cancelled out Henrik Pedersen’s opener deep into injury time. The draw felt like a defeat and it paved the way for the remainder of the month.
Aston Villa were the next opponents at the Reebok Stadium and although El Hadji Diouf’s first half goal appeared to put Wanderers on course for victory, second half strikes from future Wanderer Gavin McCann and a late Thomas Hitzlsperger effort saw Wanderer leave the field empty-handed.
A trip to Stamford Bridge was next on the cards and when Chelsea found themselves 2-0 up thanks to goals from Damien Duff and Tiago it appeared that Wanderers were heading for a heavy defeat. But Wanderers spectacularly fought back to earn a draw thanks to goals from Kevin Davies and Radhi Jaidi.
Jose Mourinho's side would go onto win the Premier League title by 12 points, losing once all season.
Wanderers couldn’t build on the fillip they gave themselves in London and when Portsmouth travelled up to the North West, a goal from Arjan De Zeeuw just after half-time saw Wanderers stumbled to a disappointing defeat in front of their own fans.