Set Pieces - He Gets the Ball, and Scores a Goal

Author: Puskas / Date: Wednesday 13 January 2010

Owen, Owen Coyle. Puskas looks back at our new manager's two years in an open-necked Wanderers shirt.

 

1993 - an interesting year. I’d just moved to Bristol, and Bruce Rioch had managed to get the Wanderers promoted to Division One, after, the previous season, using his genius to take us from Division Three to Division Two without kicking a ball. Obviously, this season was going to be one of consolidation - and we needed to bolster our squad. So we signed an exciting, cultured midfielder, Steve Fulton, who could take over from Tony Kelly, some young left-winger by the name of Thompson, and brought Jimmy Phillips back home (to replace David Burke, who was also, erm, enjoying his second spell at the club). We also needed someone to fill-in for Andy Walker up front, as the Scot was still out with a long-term injury, and we couldn’t rely on Scott Green. Super Jools The Scorer had been sent to Coventry, to rejoin his old mate Phil Neal. So we brought in some lanky Scots-Irishman from Glasgow. Coyle was his name, I believe. Initially there was some scepticism. Yes, he scored in his first home game against Stoke, but never looked particularly composed in front of goal, and missed numerous good chances. Mumblings of discontent soon surfaced.
 
All that changed with our tricky F.A. Cup 'away' trip to Burnden Park, where the tie against the not-sure-whether-we’re-English-or-Scottish Gretna was played.Wanderers found themselves 2-1 down after 25 minutes, and it looked like, after beating Liverpool at Anfield and humiliating the second-tier Wolves at Molineux the previous year, the season’s cup run would be over at the first stage. However, 11 minutes from the end, young Owen equalised, before heading home the winner five minutes later. And thus he redeemed himself.
 
His cup goals continued to prove important that season, scoring against Lincoln, and getting the winner against Everton at Goodison, as well as scoring against Arsenal at Burnden in the 2-2 draw. He even scored against Italian Giants Brescia (well, you know…) in our unbeaten European run of that season. He finished with a total of 17 goals in all competitions, well set for the next season, especially with the departure of The Great Andy Walker. Rioch signed another two strikers - the big Finn, Mixu Paatelainen, and the skilful and pacy (well, again, you know…) Fabian DeFreitas - at the time, the Wanderers record signing, eclipsing the legendary Len Cantello by £100,000. It seemed Paatelainen was initially Rioch’s first choice to partner Super John McGinlay. Undaunted, Coyle played several games on the left wing, particularly towards the end of the season, and finished it with six goals, favourites being one against Wolves and, obviously the one at Wembley, in the greatest Play-Off final off them all, when he scored the first goal as the Wanderers came back from 2-0 down (after Branny had saved a penalty) to beat Reading 4-3. It’s often forgotten how late that first goal was - 74 minutes had gone, before Coyle headed in McGinlay’s cross (and there were less than five minutes left when Fabian equalised - although we all know that was never in doubt).

Back in the top flight, after fifteen years, then. Sadly Coyle didn’t manage a Premier League goal for the Wanderers (but then we didn’t score many at all that season) and so was shipped off to Dundee United in October of that year.

So, a short but memorable Bolton playing career included good cup runs and European games. Most importantly, however, was that the team he was part of will go down in Wanderers fans' memories as one of the most fun to watch. The Bruce Rioch era changed our perceptions - and, for a generation that had grown up on decline, watching us sink lower and lower in the leagues, revitalised us. Let's hope, as he steps up another rung on his managerial career, and takes control of an established Premier League club, Coyle can replicate that.

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