Thread: Premier League
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Old 07-24-2013, 06:45 AM   #14
DanaC
We have to go back, Kate!
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Yorkshire
Posts: 25,964
Inasmuch as I follow any team, I generally consider myself a ManU supporter, but as Bolton was the town where I grew up, I also have an affection for BW.

Shame Bolton Wanderers aren't in the Prem now. They've got some serious history behind them.

Possibly one of the most famous footballing pictures. From the 1923 Cup Final, known forever after as The White Horse Final:



Quote:
The 1923 FA Cup Final was an association football match between Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United on 28 April 1923 at the original Wembley Stadium in London. The showpiece match of English football's primary cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup (better known as the FA Cup), it was the first football match to be played at Wembley Stadium. King George V was in attendance to present the trophy to the winning team.

Quote:
The final was preceded by chaotic scenes as vast crowds surged into the stadium, far exceeding its official capacity of approximately 125,000. A crowd estimated at up to 300,000 gained entrance and the terraces overflowed, with the result that spectators found their way into the area around the pitch and even onto the playing area itself. Mounted policemen, including one on a light-coloured horse which became the defining image of the day, had to be brought in to clear the crowds from the pitch and allow the match to take place. The match began 45 minutes late as crowds stood around the perimeter of the pitch. Although West Ham started strongly, Bolton proved the dominant team for most of the match and won 2–0. David Jack scored a goal two minutes after the start of the match and Jack Smith added a controversial second goal during the second half. The pre-match events prompted discussion in the House of Commons and led to the introduction of safety measures for future finals. The match is often referred to as the "White Horse Final" and is commemorated by the White Horse Bridge at the new Wembley Stadium.

Quote:
The image of Billie the white horse remains famous within English football lore, and the match is often referred to as "The White Horse Final".[24][33][48] Billie's rider, George Scorey, was rewarded by the Football Association with free tickets to subsequent finals, but he had no interest in football and chose not to attend.[23]
In 2005, a public poll chose that the new footbridge near the rebuilt Wembley Stadium would be named the White Horse Bridge.[49] The executive director of the London Development Agency, which organised the poll, stated that the choice of name was appropriate given that the bridge, like the horse, would improve safety for fans at Wembley.[50] Scottish newspaper the Daily Record claimed that fans of the national team of Scotland had voted in large numbers so as to prevent a former England player or manager being honoured, and also because "White Horse" is also the name of a brand of whisky.[51] In 2007 a play based around the reactions of a group of Bolton residents to the events of the final was staged at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton.[52]
The play was written by J's dad
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There's only so much punishment a man can take in pursuit of punani. - Sundae
http://sites.google.com/site/danispoetry/

Last edited by DanaC; 07-24-2013 at 06:51 AM.
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