Wednesday April 26, 1978; Football League Division Two.

Blackburn Rovers 0 Bolton Wanderers 1

Blackburn: J.Butcher, K.Hird, J.Bailey, S.Metcalfe, G.Keeley, J.Waddington, N.Brotherston, J.Lewis, J.Radford, T.Parkes, D.Wagstaffe.

Bolton: J.McDonagh, J.Ritson, T.Dunne, R.Greaves, M.Walsh, S.Allardyce, W.Morgan (A.Gowling 20), N.Whatmore, R.Train, P.Reid, F.Worthington.

This was the night when a generation of Bolton Wanderers fans were looking to their team to make amends for over a decade of struggle and disappointment by clinching a return to the first division.

The Trotters had dropped out of the top flight in 1964 and a steady decline had seen them then slip into Division Three in 1971. Since then, however, the team had been steadily improving and, having won promotion back to Division Two in 1973, they had been knocking on the door of the first division for the past three seasons.

In both 1976 and 77 there had been heartbreak at the last hurdle as Bolton missed out on promotion by a single point but they now made the short journey to Ewood Park knowing that victory would confirm promotion with one game to spare.

For most of the season it looked as though Blackburn might have been challenging for a promotion place themselves come this night. As late as the middle of March they were well in touch with the top three but their form had then collapsed and, despite the fact that they remained in 5th place going into this game, their promotion hopes were now dead and buried.

Not surprisingly a huge travelling support had made it's way across the moors into East Lancashire and there was understandable concern that the occasion might be marred by crowd trouble. From early on in the day Bolton fans had taken over the town centre and as kick off approached it quickly became obvious that the bulging Darwen End of the ground would be insufficient to contain the thousands of visiting supporters.

At a time when violence at football grounds was commonplace there had been virtually no reports of trouble beforehand and, as the teams took to the pitch, the two sets of fans were still keeping the peace together.

With the game meaning so much more to Bolton, and them being the team in form, it was hardly surprising that the visitors, roared on from three sides of the ground, surged into a series of early attacks. Peter Reid, Roy Greaves and Ray Train, a highly industrious trio, quickly got a grip of the midfield areas and with Frank Worthington and Neil Whatmore moving dangerously ahead of them the early signs were good for Bolton.

Both Train and Greaves shot narrowly wide of the target while the Rovers centre halves, Glenn Keeley and John Waddington, looked anything but comfortable with the slick interplay between Whatmore and Worthington.

For twenty minutes Bolton dictated proceedings but then suffered a setback which caused a shift in the pattern of play. Willie Morgan, the visitors' right winger, had been struggling with a back injury beforehand and now found that the discomfort was too great for him to continue. Alan Gowling represented an experienced replacement but his introduction forced Bolton into a reshuffle which left the side looking less balanced.

Gowling moved into the attack alongside Worthington while Whatmore was dropped slightly deeper to play as an attacking midfielder. Reid was moved towards the right hand side of midfield with Train on the other side of Greaves.

Bolton were now, basically, left with a three man midfield which saw them lost their vice like grip in that area as they struggled to adapt to the loss of Morgan.

John Bailey, Blackburn's adventurous left back, quickly took advantage of the space in front of him to race forward and swing over a wicked cross that just eluded Noel Brotherston at the far post and then the home side came even closer when Stuart Metcalfe's deep free kick was met superbly by the soaring John Radford who was desperately unlucky to see his header come back off a post.

Heeding these warnings Bolton doubled their efforts to contain the Blackburn attacking threat and for ten minutes the game became a war of attrition in the midfield areas with both sides struggling to pose any attacking threat.

At this stage it looked as though a mistake would be the most likely source of a goal and so it proved. On 33 minutes Metcalfe made a complete mess of collecting a simple pass in midfield and presented possession to Greaves. Without hesitation the Bolton man slipped an incisive ball through for Worthington who was goalside of the Blackburn defence before they could adjust to the danger.

An immediate buzz of anticipation coursed across the terraces as the classy striker, just the man you would want to have in this situation, made for goal. It seemed an age as Worthington carried the ball further and further towards the Rovers goal and it began to look as though he had taken too long as John Butcher raced from his line to narrow the angle and Kevin Hird moved in to challenge at Worthington's right shoulder.

Anybody doubting the striker were quickly left wondering how they could have been so presumptuous as Worthington, at the last moment, drilled an emphatic left footed drive beneath the advancing Butcher to rip into the far corner of the Blackburn net.

This goal saw the masses of Bolton fans all around the ground explode in celebration and the rest of the first half was a frenzy of excitement as both sides piled forward in search of goals.

Dave Wagstaffe sent in another high centre towards Radford who, with Jim McDonagh venturing unwisely from his line, sent in a looping header that bounced agonisingly the wrong side of the post with two Bolton defenders desperately racing back to clear.

Then at the other end Bailey played Keeley into trouble and when he was robbed Worthington was sent through the middle again to finish comprehensively but this time a linesmans' flag cut short the visitors' celebrations.

Half Time: Blackburn Rovers 0 Bolton Wanderers 1

The interval gave Bolton time to take stock and they came out less intent on looking to add to their lead, preferring instead to protect their one goal advantage in the knowledge that if they were successful then they would be playing first division football the following season.

Defending resolutely was something that this Bolton side was particularly adept at and Blackburn found it almost impossible to make any impression as the second half got under way.

With two attacking full backs to support Brotherston and Wagstaffe on the flanks it was out wide that the home side might have expected to make headway but the visitors had now organised themselves properly to block off this avenue of attack.

Reid was marshalling John Bailey while Train kept an eye on Kevin Hird. John Ritson generally had the measure of Wagstaffe while the veteran Tony Dunne was providing a defensive masterclass in looking after the slippery Brotherston.

Despite looking nice and solid, however, less and less was being seen of the Bolton attack so as the minutes ticked by an air of tension began to overtake the mood of celebration among the visiting fans who would have liked a clinching second goal but now realised this was increasingly unlikely.

With the tension rising and players beginning to tire on a heavy surface the game finally began to open out again in the final twenty minutes but everyone now seemed anxious.

Jack Lewis, who had made little impression all night, suddenly popped up unmarked to plant the ball into the Bolton net but it was hardly a surprise to find out that he had moved into an offside position to find such space.

Bolton then had a real opportunity to settle matters when Whatmore robbed Wagstaffe to leave himself a run on goal but the normally reliable finisher saw his shot flash just past the post and the nail biting continued.

Rovers persisted with their long, somewhat hopeful, centres into the Bolton penalty area and Lewis rose well to meet one such delivery at the far post with a firm downward header that forced McDonagh into his most difficult save of the night.

With the game suddenly stretched and swinging from end to end again Bolton broke away to fashion another great chance. Greaves led the charge but then wasted the opportunity by shooting as he came in from the left. Butcher saved comfortably as both Reid and Whatmore stood with arms outstretched in the centre wondering why the pass hadn't come.

That was the end of the Bolton attacking as the last five minutes saw Blackburn pounding away at the Bolton defence in search of an equaliser. There was nothing pretty or clever about this late push but it ensured the tension levels remained at maximum right up to the final whistle.

The only time McDonagh was forced into further action, however, was when Lewis got his head to a Radford cross but the low save was routine and finally the Bolton fans were given relief as the referee sounded the final whistle to prompt scenes of wild jubilation.

Ewood Park was immediately invaded from three sides and it was a long journey back to the tunnel for most of the visiting players as they disappeared beneath a sea of swarming supporters.

Everything remained in good spirits as the promotion party began in earnest. It would continue through the night making its' way slowly back from Blackburn to Bolton and be prolonged through the following weekend as Wanderers clinched the Division Two title at Burnden Park with a goalless draw against Fulham.

Happy times to be a Trotter and undoubtedly one of those nights you remember forever as a fan if you were one of the 15,000 or so Bolton fans who descended on Ewood Park to see it happen.

Full Time: Blackburn Rovers 0 Bolton Wanderers 1