McGovern continued to coach the following season and it looked as if Bolton could force promotion with a squad of young france soccer jersey players. The club bounced back with a fifth-place finish the following season. In the next round, it defeated Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-2. Bolton were knocked out by Derby County (3–1) in the next round. In 1993 Bolton were promoted to the second division. In 1994, they defeated FA Cup title holders Arsenal 3–1 in a fourth round replay of the FA Cup. Bolton pushed through to the quarter-finals, losing 0-1 to Oldham Athletic. Bolton kept faith in Todd. This match, also called The White Horse Finael, was attended by 127,000 supporters. Before that, The Trotters played at Burnden Park in Bolton, where on 9 March 1946 33 Bolton fans were killed by overcrowding, leading to a stampede. Bolton were bottom of the standings for almost the entire league during the 1995–96 season and McFarland was sacked on New Year's Day 1996. He was replaced by Colin Todd. He was replaced by Roy McFarland and Rioch's assistant Colin Todd. Todd was unable to save Bolton and the club was certain of relegation after losing 1-0 to Southampton on the penultimate match day.
However, McGovern's appointment was not the turning point everyone at Burnden Park had hoped for and in 1983 Bolton were relegated to the Third Division after losing 4–1 to Charlton Athletic on the final matchday. During the Second World War, most players were active on the war front, which was very rare among top athletes and football players. Most top athletes continue their training activities well away from enemy fire. Since then, Bolton have suffered from serious financial problems, stemming from their time in the Premier League when the club had overpriced players under contract. On July 19, 2014, exactly three years later, Avramov signed a contract with Torino. On his return he suffered a knee injury after a hard foul by Marcio Nunes, which kept him out for several months. After returning, he made his debut for Atalanta in Serie A on August 21, 2016, at home against Lazio. Lazio · Lecce · In the early years under Rioch, Bolton achieved some successes in cup competitions. The only one who did not survive was Goslin, who had risen to lieutenant and was killed by shrapnel on the Italian front shortly before Christmas 1943. The 53rd Bolton Artillery Regiment took part in the Battle of Dunkirk and was active in Egypt, Iraq and Italy.
At least fifteen professional footballers from Bolton, under their captain Harry Goslin, enlisted in 1939. They were incorporated into the 53rd Bolton Artillery Regiment. The so-called Stanley Matthews final of 1953 in which Bolton lost to Blackpool 4-3 after leading 1-3. The final was played at Wembley Stadium in front of 100,000 spectators. Bolton's centre-forward, David Jack, scored the first ever goal at Wembley Stadium. Alan Thompson scored for Bolton, Steve McManaman scored twice for Liverpool. In the 1993 FA Cup, it beat Liverpool 0–2 in the third round replay. In 1953 Bolton played one of the most remarkable FA Cup finals in history. On April 23, 1904, Bolton lost the final 1-0 to local rivals Manchester City. Under Rioch, Bolton were promoted to the Premier League in 1995, thanks to a victory over Reading in the play-off final. Bolton was one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and has spent most of her time in the top flight ever since. The main reason for this was that the Polish Football Association – Poland was part of the Eastern Bloc at the time – banned its players from playing abroad before their thirtieth birthday.
In 1958, Bolton Wanderers achieved its last major success with victory in the FA Cup final. The club changed its name to Bolton Wanderers in 1877. The club struggled to find a permanent playing ground and played at three different venues in its first four years of existence. Welsh international Bob Roberts scored the only goal of the game, but the result was declared void as Bolton fielded an ineligible player, Robert Struthers. In his third game for Bolton, Kidd scored a hat-trick in the 4-0 win against Newcastle United. In the 1990-91 season, Bolton lost the play-off final to Tranmere Rovers and the final season (1991-92) under Neal ended in a disappointing 13th place. The board retained confidence in manager Phil Neal (appointed in December 1985) and after just one season the team was promoted to the third division. During manager Neal's reign, Nat Lofthouse was named chairman for life. In 1989, Bolton won the Football League Trophy under Neal, who remained manager until the summer of 1992. Rioch also led Bolton to the 1995 League Cup Final, losing 2–1 to Liverpool.