Liverpool v Bolton

If it wasn't for one man, Liverpool(Click here to buy Liverpool tickets) Football Club would never have been born. When Everton left Anfield in a dispute over rent in 1892, club chairman John Houlding stayed behind along with a handful of supporters and just three first-team players. But he was determined to see football continue at the ground. He formed a new club from scratch, chose the name Liverpool(Click here to buy Liverpool tickets)… and created a legend.

Even John Houlding couldn't have predicted how successful it would become. More than 100 years on, no English club can match the Liverpool(Click here to buy Liverpool tickets) FC roll of honour; Liverpool(Click here to buy Liverpool tickets) have kept their status in the UK and European football scene since the Premier League began in 1992, having won more trophies than any other English club. League Champions 18 times, FA Cup winners seven times, League Cup winners seven times, European Cup winners five times and UEFA Cup winners three times.Liverpool(Click here to buy Liverpool tickets)’s status as giants of the domestic game is undisputed.

When it is completed, the History channel will chart the rise and rise of Liverpool(Click here to buy Liverpool tickets) FC to the very summit of the England game, from the struggles of the early years right up to Gerard Houllier's historic treble in 2001. This channel will recall glorious domestic victories and European triumphs and reflect on the tragedies of Heysel and Hillsborough.

Under the management of Rafa Benitez, Liverpool(Click here to buy Liverpool tickets) have secured a place in the Champions League in the last four seasons. Rafa Benitez guided them to third place in the 06/07 Premier League season and an appearance in the Champions League final where they were beaten 2-1 against AC Milan. They lost against Chelsea in the semi-finals of last season and secured a fourth place finish in the Premier League.On February 6, 2007, the club's search for investment came to an end when American businessmen George Gillett and Tom Hicks became the owners of Liverpool(Click here to buy Liverpool tickets) F.C. in a deal worth £470 million.

Liverpool(Click here to buy Liverpool tickets) finished the season in third place in the Premiership for the second consecutive season. Benitez did guide Liverpool(Click here to buy Liverpool tickets) to the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League final on May 23, 2007 after Pepe Reina made two saves in the penalty kick shootout in the semi-final against Chelsea F.C. Facing AC Milan once again in the final, Liverpool(Click here to buy Liverpool tickets) lost 2–1.

We've focused on 10 key dates in Liverpool(Click here to buy Liverpool tickets) Football Club's history to begin with but over time, we'll have over 100 chapters in this section alone as we present the ultimate history of England's greatest ever football club. This is a story of incredible passion and pride - a story that not only inspires Liverpool(Click here to buy Liverpool tickets) fans but football supporters the world over.

Early history

The club was founded in 1874 as Christ Church FC, but changed its name to Bolton(Click here to buy Bolton tickets) Wanderers in 1877. Bolton(Click here to buy Bolton tickets) were one of the 12 founder members of the Football League, which formed in 1888. Having remained in the Football League since its formation, Bolton(Click here to buy Bolton tickets) have spent more time in the top flight (Premier League/old First Division) than out of it.

In 1894 Bolton(Click here to buy Bolton tickets) reached the final of football's oldest competition, the FA Cup, for the first time, but lost 4–1 to Notts County at Goodison Park. A decade later they were runners-up a second time, losing 1–0 to local rivals Manchester City at Crystal Palace on April 23, 1904. On April 28, 1923 Bolton(Click here to buy Bolton tickets) won the cup at their third attempt to win their first major trophy, beating West Ham United 2–0 in the first ever Wembley final. The match, famously known as The White Horse Final was played in front of over 127,000 supporters. Bolton(Click here to buy Bolton tickets)'s centre-forward, David Jack scored the first ever goal at Wembley Stadium. They became the most successful cup side of the twenties, also winning in 1926 and 1929, beating Manchester City and Portsmouth respectively.

From 1935 to 1964, Bolton(Click here to buy Bolton tickets) enjoyed an uninterrupted stay in the top flight – regarded by fans as a golden era, spearheaded in the 1950s by Nat Lofthouse. They would not return to the top flight until 1978, where they lasted but two seasons before a period of further decline set in. In 1953 Bolton(Click here to buy Bolton tickets) played in one of the most famous FA Cup finals of all time - The Stanley Matthews Final of 1953. Bolton(Click here to buy Bolton tickets) lost the game to Blackpool 4–3 after throwing away a 3–1 lead. Blackpool were victorious thanks to the skills of Matthews and the goals of Stan Mortensen.

Bolton(Click here to buy Bolton tickets) Wanderers have not won a major trophy since 1958, when two Lofthouse goals saw them overcome Manchester United in the FA Cup final in front of a 100,000 crowd at Wembley. The closest they have come to winning a major trophy since then is finishing runners-up in the League Cup, first in 1995 and again in 2004.

At the end of the 1986–87 season, Bolton(Click here to buy Bolton tickets) Wanderers suffered relegation to the Fourth Division for the first time in their history. But the board kept faith in manager Phil Neal and they won promotion back to the Third Division at the first attempt. The deciding goal was scored by Robbie Savage in a 1–0 win at Wrexham. Neal remained in charge until the summer of 1992 when he made way for Bruce Rioch, who a few years earlier had won two successive promotions with Middlesbrough.

In the early part of Rioch's tenure, Bolton(Click here to buy Bolton tickets) gained a giantkilling reputation in cup competitions. In 1993 Bolton(Click here to buy Bolton tickets) beat FA Cup holders Liverpool 2–0 in a third round replay thanks to goals from John McGinlay and Andy Walker. The club also defeated higher division opposition in the form of Wolves that year before bowing out to Derby County. In 1994 Bolton(Click here to buy Bolton tickets) beat FA Cup holders Arsenal 3–1 in a fourth round replay, and went on to reach the Quarter Finals, bowing out 1–0 at home to local rivals (and then Premier League) Oldham Athletic. Bolton(Click here to buy Bolton tickets) also defeated top division opposition in the form of Everton and Aston Villa that year.

Recent history

Bolton(Click here to buy Bolton tickets) reached the Premiership in 1995 under the management of Rioch, thanks to a victory over Reading in the Division One playoff final. Rioch left to take charge at Arsenal after the promotion success and was replaced by Roy McFarland, who was joined by his former assistant Colin Todd. Bolton(Click here to buy Bolton tickets) were bottom for virtually all of the 1995–96 Premiership campaign and Bolton(Click here to buy Bolton tickets) dismissed McFarland on New Year's Day 1996 and appointed Todd in his place. Todd was unable to save Bolton(Click here to buy Bolton tickets) from relegation but the board kept faith in him. The Bolton(Click here to buy Bolton tickets) board's loyalty in Todd was rewarded when they won promotion back to the Premiership at the first attempt thanks to a season in which they achieved 98 league points and 100 goals in the process of securing the Division One Championship.

Bolton(Click here to buy Bolton tickets) were relegated on goal difference at the end of the 1997–98 Premiership campaign. Bolton(Click here to buy Bolton tickets) reached the 1999 Division One playoff final but lost to Watford. Todd resigned as manager soon after and was replaced by Sam Allardyce. Bolton(Click here to buy Bolton tickets) reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup and play-offs but lost to Aston Villa and Ipswich Town respectively. In 2000–01 Bolton(Click here to buy Bolton tickets) were promoted back to the Premier League after beating Preston North End in the play-off final.

Bolton(Click here to buy Bolton tickets) struggled in the following two seasons, but survived in the Premier League. They reached the League Cup final in 2004, but lost to Middlesbrough. Nevertheless, Bolton(Click here to buy Bolton tickets) finished eighth in the league, at the time their highest finish for some time. In 2005 Bolton(Click here to buy Bolton tickets) finished sixth in the league, thus earning qualification for the UEFA Cup for the first time in their history. The following season, they reached the last 32 but were eliminated by French team Marseille. In April 2007, towards the end of 2006–07 season, manager Allardyce resigned. In his final four seasons at Bolton(Click here to buy Bolton tickets), Allardyce had recorded consecutive top ten finishes, a record of consistency bettered only by the big four of Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal.

Allardyce was replaced by his assistant Sammy Lee, who secured Bolton(Click here to buy Bolton tickets)'s qualification for the 2007–08 UEFA Cup. After gaining only one league win in eleven matches, Lee left Bolton(Click here to buy Bolton tickets) in October 2007 and was replaced by Gary Megson.