Roaring Back From the Past

Lofthouse Hoisting the FA Cup After Besting Man United in 1958

The Lion of Vienna would have relished this match. Bolton legend Nat Lofthouse–nicknamed the Lion of Vienna after scoring the winning goal for England against Austria in 1952–was a rugged center forward in his day. Always pushing forward to goal, Lofthouse suffered injury after scoring that match winner but was able to rely on the strength of those carrying him on their shoulders to leave the pitch.

Lofthouse passed away this January at the age of 85 and another of his great moments was scoring a brace in Bolton’s last FA Cup Finals win in 1958. Prior to the FA Cup quarter-final at St Andrews, Trotters gaffer Owen Coyle issued a challenge to his charges–win this for the Lion.

Bolton certainly looked up to the task, pouncing on a Birmingham side reeling from the absence of seven regular contributors–out for myriad injuries. Blues captain Barry Ferguson took to the pitch in part due to the short bench, the importance of the match, and because the pain killers he was on because of his still fractured ribs hadn’t worn off at the start. After nearly half an hour, though, the wounded Scot had to be taken off for a mohawked Nathan Redmond. This followed Liam Ridgewell’s replacement of hulking Czech defender Martin Jiranek–hobbled after Stu Holden had inadvertently trod on his leg, mistaking it for another bit of the sliding turf at St Andrews.

While Brum trudged through most of the 1st half like an overworked and broke-backed farm horse, Wanderers played in the style of impressionist painter Georges Seurat–a spot of Holden here, a spot of Petrov there. The opening goal by Elmander was the end result of a series of pointed brush strokes that highlighted Bolton’s transformation from an ugly self-portrait of Gary Megson into a poor man’s Tottenham under Owen Coyle.

But just as Brum had muddied the water-color canvas Arsenal had attempted to paint in the Carling Cup Final, the lads from the Second City did the same to Bolton in the 38th minute. Against the run of play, a bad clearance by David Wheater gifted Cameron Jerome with the ball at his feet, and the Blues’ forward thumped it home. As the ball settled in the back of Jussi Jaaskelainen’s net, it seemed Jerome had buried with it some of his frustrations after a long goal drought for the Englishman.

Although the half time music pumping through the park’s speakers sounded more London than Birmingham, the techno disco tune must have been the perfect tonic for McLeish’s ailing side. Looking ready to get stuck in to begin the 2nd half, Brum fought with their hands and with high leg kick clearances–Liam Ridgewell’s bloody lip emblematic of the bloody scrum the match had become 15 minutes into the 2nd half.

The traveling contingent of over four thousand were undaunted though, chanting “Come on Bolton” in full throat over the remaining twenty-five thousand fans baying for McLeish’s gladiators to finish the job. When Bolton sub Chung-Yong Lee turned his first touch of the ball into a clearance off the line, momentum swung back to Bolton. Blues defender Curtis Davies used his hands too freely to twist Kevin Davies down in the penalty area, and Phil O’Dowd awarded a penalty that could have been the second called on the Brum center back. Former Portsmouth throw-away–and now Bolton captain Davies–converted the chance and the Trotters looked well on their way to Wembley.

Another old war horse though–BFC’s Kevin Phillips–did not give up the ghost though. A rocket shot in the 69th minute was just a Jussi fingernail away from being the equalizer–instead deflected just enough by the Bolton GK to strike the right post. With what appeared to be his last ounce of energy, Phillips threw a boot out to a ball floated in from the midfield and–while falling to the muddy ground–found enough power in his big toe to scorch the ball past Jussi to knot the match up again in the 80th minute. Phillips lay on the pitch for a while after the goal–not from an injury it seemed but from sheer exhaustion.

The ghost of the Lion smiled a bit, even if Phillips is a Brum player.

But to bookend his day, Chung-Yong Lee’s last significant touch of the ball was a headed goal for the winner near the end of regular time. From a long ball near midfield, Bolton’s Davies climbed the back of Beausejour near the left post to head a cross for an unmarked Lee to nod the ball past GK Foster. Having taken the tie 3-2, Bolton’s on to Wembley for an FA Cup semi-final. Birmingham are now left to lick their wounds and focus solely on avoiding relegation from the Premiership.

And the legend of Nat Lofthouse has another time to be retold in England’s national stadium.