The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: Bolton Wanderers

With Lincoln City preparing to face Bolton Wanderers, it is time to pick through another trio of players who have represented both clubs.

As ever, the categories are not necessarily a definitive judgement on the player’s entire career. The Good is fairly self-explanatory. The Bad usually recalls someone whose time with us did not quite work out, while The Ugly is about a spell, situation or debate that was a little more complicated. It certainly is not a comment on anyone’s appearance!

We begin with a Welsh international goalkeeper who made almost 200 league appearances for the Imps before later returning to Bolton and becoming a major figure at Burnden Park.

The Good: David Felgate

David Felgate began his professional career with Bolton Wanderers, although he did not make a league appearance for the club during his first spell. Instead, he gained experience through loan moves to Rochdale and Crewe Alexandra, playing more than 60 senior matches before Colin Murphy brought him to Lincoln in 1980. Felgate initially arrived on a one-month loan, with an agreement already in place for the move to become permanent.

It proved to be an excellent piece of business. Felgate established himself as City’s first-choice goalkeeper and made 198 league appearances during five years at Sincil Bank. He was part of the side promoted from the Fourth Division in 1980/81 and was named in the PFA Third Division Team of the Year in both 1982/83 and 1983/84. His performances also earned him a senior Wales cap in 1983, when he replaced Neville Southall during a friendly against Romania.

Felgate left City for Grimsby Town in 1985, but his association with Bolton was not over. He returned to the club on loan in 1987 before signing permanently, going on to make 223 league appearances and helping them win the Associate Members’ Cup in 1988/89. His record for both clubs makes him a straightforward choice for The Good, although almost 200 league appearances and two PFA selections mean Lincoln supporters can claim to have seen some of his finest years.