A Monday night, in September 1997, Bolton entered a new era at their just-built Reebok Stadium. Freshly promoted, Wanderers were back in the Premier League and the opening night of the Reebok brought Everton.
It was a surreal occasion, for in the early hours of the previous day Princess Diana had died in a car crash in Paris.
The game went ahead and the score was 0-0 in the second half when Alan Thompson sent in a corner kick. Bolton centre half Gerry Taggart met it with a header accurate enough to beat Everton’s great goalkeeper, Neville Southall.
Alan Thompson celebrates scoring Bolton's first goal from the penalty spot against Tottenham
The ball clearly crossed the line — Bolton had their historic first goal at the new ground.
Then, from behind the goalline, Terry Phelan hacked the ball clear. The celebrating Bolton players did not care, they knew they were 1-0 up — until they looked at referee Stephen Lodge.
Then they saw that Lodge was not indicating a goal had been scored, he was signalling play should continue. Bolton’s players were stunned, outraged. The game finished 0-0, but that wasn’t the end of the matter.
Nevertheless, three weeks later, after another 0-0 draw against Manchester United at the Reebok, Bolton were playing Tottenham at their new home. After 20 minutes, Nathan Blake was fouled by Justin Edinburgh in the Spurs box. Referee Uriah Rennie pointed to the spot.
Up stepped Thompson. He struck the penalty to the left as Spurs keeper Ian Walker dived to his right. This was definitely a goal — this was definitely the first goal at the Reebok Stadium.
Bolton entered a new era at their just-built Reebok Stadium on a night in September 1997
‘I sent the keeper the wrong way,’ Thompson says. ‘It was quite a relief.’
Spurs equalised through Chris Armstrong in the second half and it was to be the end of October before Wanderers had their first home win in the league at the Reebok. That first victory — 1-0 against Chelsea courtesy of Dean Holdsworth — lifted the Whites out of the bottom three.
The season was to be a long fight to avoid relegation, though, and on the last day — at Chelsea — Bolton needed a point to stay up. They lost 2-0. ‘When it was 1-0, we had to go for it and I gave the ball
