We have profiled three players to have played for both Bolton Wanderers and Bradford City
Filipe Morais
‘The Postman’ as he as affectionately nicknamed by Wanderers supporters for his consistent ability to create goals, Morais was signed by Phil Parkinson from his former club Bradford City in January 2017.
Playing a starring role in the club’s surge to form and subsequent promotion back to the Championship during the second half of the 2016/17 season, Morais made a total of 56 appearances (3 goals) during 18 months at the University of Bolton Stadium and has since gone onto spend time with Oldham Athletic, Crawley Town and current employers Grimsby Town.
Signing for Bradford City in August 2014 after leaving Stevenage, he enjoyed a successful two and-a-half year period with the Bantams, making 71 appearances (8 goals). Unfortunately, a lengthy spell on the sidelines hindered the Portuguese winger’s time at the club for a period.
John McGinlay
A man who needs no introduction to the Wanderers faithful, McGinlay would likely only rank second to Nat Lofthouse as the club’s greatest ever player for his goal-scoring exploits during the 1990s and is held in very high regard by the club’s fan base.
Signed from Millwall for a six-figure sum in 1992, the Scottish frontman would go onto score 118 goals in 245 appearances and earn his status as a Club Legend before a move to Bradford City in November 1997 for a fee of £625,000.
Unfortunately, injuries hampered McGinlay’s spell in West Yorkshire and after making just 19 appearances (3 goals), he joined Oldham Athletic.
Stephen Darby
Currently two and-a-half years into his battle against Motor Neurone Disease, Darby arrived at Bolton Wanderers ahead of the 2017/18 season as a solid and reliable addition that Phil Parkinson knew so well from their successful time together at Bradford City.
Described by many as one of the game’s real ‘Nice Guys’, Darby started out in the youth ranks at Liverpool and made seven first-team appearances before a permanent switch to Bradford in July 2012 after he’d had loan stints at Swindon Town, Notts County, and Rochdale.
Mr. Consistent during his time with the Bantams, he made 239 appearances (1 goal) for the club before reuniting with Parkinson and his backroom staff at the University of Bolton Stadium. The Liverpudlian full-back made just five appearances for Wanderers and in September 2018 he retired from professional football following his diagnosis with Motor Neurone Disease.