List of Bolton Wanderers F.C. players explained

Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football club based in Horwich, Greater Manchester. The club was formed in Bolton in 1874 as Christ Church F.C. and was renamed Bolton Wanderers F.C. in 1877. They played their first competitive match in October 1881, when they entered the First Round of the 1881–82 FA Cup. The club moved to Burnden Park in 1895 and the Reebok Stadium in 1997. Since playing their first competitive match, 170 players have made at least 100 appearances (including substitute appearances); those players are listed here.

Bolton Wanderers's record appearance-maker is Eddie Hopkinson, who made more than 570 appearances between 1952 and 1970. The club's leading scorer is Nat Lofthouse with 285 goals in his 14 years with the club. Along with Hopkinson and Lofthouse, seven other players have made more than 500 appearances. Other than Lofthouse, only Joe Smith has scored more than 200 goals for the club.

List of players

Table headers

• Apps — Number of games played as a starter
• Sub — Number of games played as a substitute
• Total — Total number of games played, both as a starter and as a substitute

Positions key

GK	Goalkeeper	RB	Right back	RM	Right midfielder	RW	Right winger
CB	Central back	LB	Left back	LM	Left midfielder	LW	Left winger
DF	Defender	FB	Fullback	MF	Midfielder	W	Winger
FW	Forward	HB	Half back	CM	Central midfielder	U

Statistics correct as of match played 13 August 2024

Name	Nationality	Position	Bolton Wanderers career	Apps	Sub	Total	Goals
			1888–1898	255	0	255	8	^[1]
			1890–1901	293	0	293	2	^[2]
			1895–1901	136	0	136	14	^[3]
			1889–1898	219	0	219	101	^[4]
			1895–1901	125	0	125	29
			1895–1898 1902–1904	128	0	128	22
			1902–1908	217	0	217	93
			1902–1912	201	0	201	81
			1905–1921	388	0	388	4
			1905–1910	164	0	164	15
			1908–1927	492	0	492	277
			1910–1931	512	0	512	70	^[5]
			1912–1921	146	0	146	6	^[6]
			1912–1930	287	0	287	2
			1914–1922	117	0	117	14
			1919–1932	375	0	375	5
			1920–1928	324	0	324	161
			1920–1933	449	0	449	74
			1921–1931	336	0	336	0	^[7]
			1921–1932	326	0	326	6	^[8]
			1922–1928	174	0	174	87
			1922–1933	159	0	159	22
			1922–1937	530	0	530	2	^[9]
			1927–1933	255	0	255	81	^[10]
			1928–1935	262	0	262	40
			1930–1939	334	0	334	23	^[11]
		LH	1930–1939	220	3	244	3
			1930–1947	333	0	333	144	^[12]
John Atkinson			1931–1948	263	0	263	5	^[13]
			1935–1949	169	0	169	19
			1935–1955	423	0	423	0	^[14]
			1936–1952	286	0	286	35
			1936–1950	171	0	171	19	^[15]
			1937–1947	144	0	144	0
			1940–1954	118	0	118	0
			1942–1952	154	0	154	1
			1943–1955	358	0	358	134	^[16]
			1944–1956	357	0	357	27
			1946–1960	503	0	503	285	^[17]
			1947–1965	518	0	518	9	^[18]
			1947–1961	255	0	255	2
			1949–1961	183	0	183	9
			1949–1953	132	0	132	18
			1950–1958	212	0	212	2
			1950–1962	463	0	463	44
			1950–1962	310	0	310	101
			1951–1956	205	0	205	18
			1951–1966	498	1	499	13
			1952–1970	578	0	578	0
			1952–1955	109	0	109	34
			1952–1961	202	0	202	0
			1953–1960	299	0	299	79
			1955–1964	191	0	191	28
			1955–1965	161	0	161	4
			1957–1969	410	2	412	79
			1958–1971	403	1	404	1
			1958–1975	521	7	528	17
			1959–1967	210	0	210	106
			1961–1969	259	0	259	8
			1961–1969	121	5	126	3
			1962–1966	170	0	170	74
			1962–1970	281	5	286	46	^[19]
			1962–1972	213	2	215	9
			1963–1968	183	1	184	26
			1965–1980	567	8	575	85
			1965–1975	160	15	175	19
			1966–1976	340	11	351	130
			1966–1978	375	3	378	13
			1967–1971	116	1	117	12
			1967–1971	108	2	110	30
			1968–1975	236	11	247	55
			1969–1977	153	17	170	9
			1970–1983	502	4	506	43
			1970–1975	176	1	177	2
Peter Nicholson			1971–1982	352	18	370	14
			1972–1976	158	0	158	0
			1973–1979	189	4	193	0
			1973–1980 1985–1986	226	5	231	24
			1973–1978	126	6	132	2
			1973–1981 1982–1983 1983–1984 1987–1988	322	16	338	121
			1974–1982	257	4	261	25
			1974–1981	192	9	201	5
			1976–1980 1981–1983	274	0	274	1
			1976–1980	177	2	179	12
			1977–1981 1990–1994	208	8	216	2
			1978–1982	163	2	165	31
			1979–1983	93	11	104	15
			1980–1985	125	2	127	2
			1981–1986	139	1	140	0
			1982–1991	416	6	422	57
			1982–1985	120	1	121	2
			1983–1987	216	5	221	21
			1983–1987 1993–2001	390	21	411	8
			1983–1987	166	9	177	78
			1984–1992	246	13	259	11
			1985–1987	101	0	101	10
			1986–1993	333	12	345	52
			1986–1994	279	6	285	6
			1987–1993	300	0	300	0
			1987–1993	127	38	165	15
			1988–1994	330	2	332	17
			1988–1992	157	3	160	6
			1989–1992	180	2	182	75
			1989–1993	142	31	173	42
			1990–1996	232	24	256	15
			1990–1997	221	65	286	31
			1990–1995	190	5	195	9
			1992–1995	139	6	145	15
			1992–1997	230	15	245	118
			1992–2000	263	0	263	0
			1992–1997	164	35	199	20
			1993–1998	180	18	198	42
			1995–2003	306	11	317	26
			1995–1998	118	6	124	48
			1995–1999	119	7	126	16
			1995–2000	84	23	107	2
			1996–1999 2000–2004	277	27	304	36
			1996–2000	140	30	170	21
			1997–2012	529	1	530	0
			1998–2012	341	69	410	25
			1997–2000	125	2	127	4
			1997–2001	85	18	103	7
			1997–2003	118	68	176	49
			1997–2003	149	14	163	2
			1998–2003	89	17	106	0
			1998–2000	108	1	109	10
			1999–2009	291	54	345	50
			1999–2002	78	41	119	17
			2000–2003	68	44	112	46
			2000–2010	143	18	161	1
			2000–2004	120	14	134	0
			2000–2005	92	24	116	0
			2001–2006	164	8	172	7
			2001–2007	109	62	171	29
			2002–2006	123	22	145	18	^[20]
			2002–2008	166	28	194	14
			2003–2013	373	34	407	85
			2003–2008	118	59	177	28
			2003–2008	114	22	136	24
			2004–2008	130	9	139	14
			2004–2007	103	7	110	1
			2008–2011	114	23	137	23
			2008–2012	147	0	147	15
			2008–2012	136	11	147	4
			2008–2012	133	6	139	6
			2008–2011	89	19	108	22
			2009–2014	180	11	191	4	^[21]
			2008–2017	153	55	208	16
			2009–2015	149	46	195	20
			2009–2013	107	7	114	1
			2011–2014	89	17	106	19
			2010–2015	119	1	120	0
			2011–2018	174	29	203	17
			2012–2015	121	5	126	0
			2012–2017	156	17	173	10
			2013–2016	91	25	116	11
			2011–2019	218	18	236	16
			2012–2019	161	21	182	13
			2015–2018	93	14	107	25
			2016–2019	131	1	132	12
			2013–2015 2020–2022	92	11	103	5
			2020–	175	2	177	5
			2021–2023	81	20	101	21	^[22]
			2020–	152	9	161	8
			2021–2023	88	12	100	1	^[23]
			2022–	108	14	122	50
			2020–	100	25	125	9
			2022–	82	40	122	12
			2022–	70	39	109	10
			2021–	85	23	108	10

Notes and References

1. Web site: Overall Appearances/Goals Record – J . bwfcstats.com . 17 August 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120315123348/http://bwfcstats.com/play/overall/page9.html . 15 March 2012 .
2. Web site: Overall Appearances/Goals Record – S . bwfcstats.com . 17 August 2011 .
3. Web site: Overall Appearances/Goals Record – B . bwfcstats.com . 17 August 2011 .
4. Web site: Overall Appearances/Goals Record – C . bwfcstats.com . 17 August 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120315122839/http://bwfcstats.com/play/overall/page3.html . 15 March 2012 .
5. Web site: Overall Appearances/Goals Record – V . bwfcstats.com . 17 August 2011 .
6. Web site: Overall Appearances/Goals Record – D . bwfcstats.com . 17 August 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120315122847/http://bwfcstats.com/play/overall/page4.html . 15 March 2012 .
7. Web site: Overall Appearances/Goals Record – P . bwfcstats.com . 17 August 2011 .
8. Web site: Overall Appearances/Goals Record – N . bwfcstats.com . 17 August 2011 .
9. Web site: Overall Appearances/Goals Record – F . bwfcstats.com . 17 August 2011 .
10. https://www.vintagefootballers.com/product/gibson-george-image-3-bolton-1929/ Gibson George Image 3 Bolton Wanderers 1929
11. Web site: Overall Appearances/Goals Record – G . bwfcstats.com . 17 August 2011 .
12. Web site: Overall Appearances/Goals Record – W . bwfcstats.com . 17 August 2011 .
13. Web site: Overall Appearances/Goals Record – A . bwfcstats.com . 17 August 2011 .
14. Web site: Overall Appearances/Goals Record – H . bwfcstats.com . 17 August 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120315123059/http://bwfcstats.com/play/overall/page8.html . 15 March 2012 . live .
15. Web site: Overall Appearances/Goals Record – R . bwfcstats.com . 17 August 2011 .
16. Web site: Overall Appearances/Goals Record – M . bwfcstats.com . 17 August 2011 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131111160113/http://bwfcstats.com/play/overall/page12.html . 11 November 2013 .
17. Web site: Overall Appearances/Goals Record – L . bwfcstats.com . 17 August 2011 .
18. Web site: Overall Appearances/Goals Record – E . bwfcstats.com . 17 August 2011 .
19. Web site: Overall Appearances/Goals Record – T . bwfcstats.com . 17 August 2011 .
20. Web site: Overall Appearances/Goals Record – O . bwfcstats.com . 17 August 2011 .
21. Web site: Overall Appearances/Goals Record – K . bwfcstats.com . 29 April 2011 .
22. Web site: 11 November 2013 . Overall Appearances/Goals Record – N . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131111164449/http://bwfcstats.com/play/overall/page13.html . 11 November 2013 . 25 September 2016.
23. Web site: Overall Appearances/Goals Record – W . bwfcstats.com . 17 August 2011 .