Bolton Wanderers, Charlton Athletic and Brentford City are football clubs currently playing in different leagues within the English football structure. Despite the fact that their merits are far from outstanding and they have never been considered among the giants of British and world football, there are many glorious moments in their history that are worth telling about. The teams included many famous masters who played for other eminent clubs and their teams. Charlton Athletic, Brentford and Bolton Wanderers are a force in football, albeit a local one.
Charlton Athletic in the 20th century
"Charlton Athletic" was founded on June 9, 1905 in London, in one of the districts of a large metropolitan area, bearing the same name as the club. Although the team has more than a century of history, it cannot be called old by the standards of English football: the English championship had already been played out for 17 years by the time it was born.new football club. At first, the club did not have its own modern stadium, the dressing rooms served as a seafood store nearby. This formed the basis for the nickname of the new team - Haddock, which means "cod" in Russian.
For the first 15 years of its existence, Charlton Athletic played in amateur leagues. So, the starting season of the new team in "adult" football was the 1921/22 season, which the club spent in the third English division (in its southern subdivision). The next 20 years were the most significant and successful in the history of the London club. With a difference in the season, the team took alternately second and third place in the top English division. These successes came in the mid-thirties. A decade later, the team won their only trophy in over a hundred years. In the 1946/47 season the team won the FA Cup. This outstanding event was preceded by reaching the final a season earlier.
Unfortunately, in the future, the results of the team only worsened. Just nine years after winning the FA Cup, Charlton began to roam the lower divisions of English football. Londoners returned to the elite only 30 years later. The end of the eighties "Athletic" spent in the top English division, where he got to 14th place. Another season came in the nineties: in the 1998/1999 season, Charlton finished 18th, having been relegated two more rounds before the end of the championship.
Charlton Athletic in the 21st century
We managed to return in a season. On the second attempt, the Londoners gained a foothold in the Premier League and spentseven seasons in a row. The highest achievement - seventh place in the 2003/2004 season, when the club stopped three points from the UEFA Cup zone. Charlton's Paolo Di Canio finished second in that season's league's top assistant competition. It is worth mentioning that in 2002, four players of the team took part in the World Cup.
Today the club plays in League 1, the third strongest English division. “Charlton” is in third place, with every chance of promotion. The team plays games at the Valley Stadium, which seats just over 27,000 spectators. However, the management promises to expand it to 40,000 if Charlton are back in the Premier League.
History of Bolton Wanderers
For fans of English football, the squad is known as the "elevator team". Since the mid-1990s, the club has repeatedly relegated and returned to the Premier League. However, the history of the club begins long before these metamorphoses.
"Bolton Wanderers" comes from the city of the same name, located in the county of Greater Manchester. Founded in 1874, the club was at the heart of the 12 clubs that founded professional football in England - Bolton took part in the very first English championship. However, after 10 years, the team collapsed a division lower and in the next 70 years either went to the big leagues or returned back. The club experienced its longest fall from 1965 to 1988, when the team sank to the very bottom of the English football system - in the fourth bestdivision. Since then, a systematic return to the elite began. A year later, the team was already playing in the third division. A few years later - in the second. Season 1995/1996 "Wanderers" began in the Premier League, which replaced the top division, but immediately relegated. It was finally possible to gain a foothold in the 2001/2002 season. Bolton played in high society until the 2011/2012 season inclusive. The highest achievement of the team is 6th place in the 2004/2005 season and access to the UEFA Cup.
The most glorious page in the history of the club is the FA Cup, conquered by Bolton four times. Three victories came in the glorious twenties, and the last dated back to 1958. In the same year, Bolton also won the FA Super Cup. The team has reached the League Cup final twice, in 1995 and 2004. At the moment, this is the last significant achievement in the history of the club. The 2017/2018 season, Bolton spends in the Championship, trying to escape relegation to the lower division.
Brentford City
Unlike the two teams already mentioned, Brentford have never played in the Premier League in their history. The club is based in London and was formed in 1889. The most glorious period in the history of Brentford came in the 1930s, when the team won the English second division, and the following year finished fifth in the top. Until now, this is considered the highest achievement in the history of the club. The team spent 4 more seasons in the elite and never returned there again. For nowAt the moment, Brentford are playing in the second most powerful English league, where they have been playing for the fourth season in a row. The team is a strong middle peasant of the Championship: neither promotion nor relegation threatens it.
The club plays its matches at the Griffin Park stadium, which can accommodate just over 12,000 spectators. The roof of the stadium is used as a large advertising surface, as the stadium is on approach to London Heathrow Airport.
Charlton Athletic v Bolton Wanderers
The period of joint stay of the teams in the Premier League was very short-lived. In the 2001/2002 season, Bolton won both matches. The next season, Charlton was already stronger: a victory and a draw. In the 2003/2004 season, the situation turned out to be a mirror image. The following season, Bolton again won both matches. The same thing happened in the 2005/2006 season. The following year was the last in the joint stay of the teams in the Premier League: “Charlton” won one match in the end, and brought the second to a draw. So, the overall statistics in favor of Bolton: 7 wins, 3 draws, 2 losses.
Brentford and Bolton Wanderers do not have a season in the Premier League.
