The Top Bolton Wanderers Goals of 2014

My sincerest apologies for not compiling this list whilst, you know, we were still in the year of 2014.

The idea only came to me as I was walking my dogs on the frosty New Years Day morning, and since my brain has been submerged in alcohol and fatty foods for the past week or so, it's been a challenge do anything really, let alone think about things that happened more than a month a go.

Please keep in consideration that goals that have made this list may not necessarily be the best in terms of quality, but made up for it due to further context of the goal.

So with our further ado, here's my belated list of the best Bolton Wanderers goals in 2014. Enjoy.

10 - Zat Knight vs Yeovil: 22nd March.

Sneaking in at 10th place is Zat Knight's equaliser against Yeovil Town. The backwards looping header, which sailed delightfully over the stranded goalkeepers' head, sent the traveling Bolton fans into raptures and led to the best chant Bolton fans have come up with in recent times: "It's the rhythm of Zat Knight. Zat Knight, yeah". I'm going to launch a campaign to get people to sing it with Dervite's name instead.

9 - Max Clayton vs Wigan Athletic: 7th November

Wanderers were playing well against local rivals, Wigan, in the first half but found it difficult to break down the stubborn defence but, after a mere five minutes into the second half, Lee Chung-yong found the advancing Max Clayton with a pinpoint through-ball, and the youngster cooly slotted under the goalkeeper.

It was his first goal for Bolton and his goal was the catalyst for the team to go on to smash Wigan by three goals to one.

8 - Emile Heskey vs Blackburn Rovers: 26th December

Not exactly the best of goals to have ever graced the sacred Macron turf, but possibly one of the most surreal. I think if you had have told any Bolton fan even as short as five months ago, that we'd be signing Emile Heskey, they'd have found you to a wee bit loony. But after Neil Lennon secured the services of Eidur Gudjohnsen, anything was possible, and in came the big man. No doubt many Blackburn fans sniggered, as Heskey stood upon the touchline ready to return to English football. However, the only people who were laughing were Bolton fans (and boy was I laughing) when Heskey completely changed the game and turned in Gudjohnsen's astute cross.

7 - Andre Moritz vs Leeds United: 8th March

Andre Moritz' brief time at the club may not last too long in the memory, but the Brazilian playmaker certainly littered his stint with some cracking goals. The most emphatic of which being the fifth in Bolton's 5-1 demolition of Leeds United, at Eland Road. The ball fell kindly for him just inside the box and he then blasted an unstoppable effort in off the crossbar, to conclude a stunning Bolton performance.

6 - Neil Danns vs Brentford: 25th October

It was Neil Lennon's first home game in charge of Bolton Wanderers, so hopes were high. The performance was good, but we were lacking a finishing touch to really get the game moving. Thankfully, upon the hour, up popped Neil Danns, with a great finish to put Wanderers a goal to the good. He picked the ball up from a Tim Ream pass, steadied himself, and let fly with his left foot from thirty yards, with the ball flying into the bottom corner.

5 - Jay Spearing vs Blackburn Rovers: 1st March

Captain Jay Spearing hasn't had the best of times at Bolton Wanderers since his permanent move, in fact, it seems very unlikely that we'll ever see him start a game for the club again. But 2014 did have some highlights for him in a white shirt, in particularly his goal against Blackburn Rovers.

Bolton were already two goals up thanks to strikes from fellow forgotten men, Medo and Joe Mason, but any hopes of a Blackburn fight were quickly put to bed with Spearing's strike. He took a single touch of the ball to ready himself, then let rip from all of thirty yards out, and the ball just about fell over the line after hitting the underside of the cross bar.

4 - Mark Davies vs Brentford: 25th October

The second goal from the game against Brentford, as Bolton started under Lennon as they meant to go on, by playing fast, dangerous football and scoring goals.

The second goal of the match was classic Mark Davies, something the Macron turf has been severely lacking in, in recent times. Sparky received the ball from a throw in and took it down on his chest before gracefully skipping past a tackler, holding off another and effortlessly slotting past the goalkeeper.

3 - Matt Mills vs Chelsea: 24th September

This goal wasn't by any means amazing in its quality, but it meant oh so much. We'd drawn Chelsea away in the League Cup and they were, rather expectedly, tearing us apart. After going a goal down midway through the first half it would have been very easy for the players to let their heads drop and suffer an absolute spanking. But surprisingly, they didn't.

The team showed fight, passion, grit, desire, qualities that were all sadly missing towards the end of Dougie Freedman's reign. The goal was ultimately futile as, despite Bolton's brave efforts, Chelsea managed to find a winner, and the game did nothing to kick start our season; but in the moment it meant everything and I hadn't celebrated a Bolton goal like that for some time.

2 - Lukas Jutkiewicz vs Bournemouth: 8th February

Sigh. I miss this man more everyday. Brought in on loan by Freedman, I don't think anybody expected just how much of an effect Juke would have on the Bolton team. He completely changed our season. He scored goals, he held up the ball, he could link up play, he was skilful, he was pacey, he was fucking great. Juke gave our attack a focal point and even managed to evoke the best out of Joe Mason, no easy feet.

The pick of his seven goals for the club was this beauty against Bournemouth. It's a goal that I don't think I'm capable of accurately describing. So just watch it ye?

1 - Liam Trotter vs Sheffield Wednesday: 26th April

It couldn't have been any other goal really, could it? Liam Trotters' first, and only to date, goal for the Trotters ( ;-) ) was the sensational goal that put Bolton three goals up away to Sheffield Wednesday. The burly midfielder picked up the ball a seemingly harmless forty yards from goal, but then rendered everybody inside Hillsborough into a state of shock as he hit a spectacular volley in off the cross bar.

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Honourable Mentions

Andre Moritz vs Blackburn Rovers: 1st March

Neil Danns vs Bury: 12th August

Medo vs Blackburn Rovers: 1st March

Darren Pratley vs Millwall: 19th December

Craig Davies vs Brentford: 25th October

Darren Pratley vs Huddersfield Town: 28th December

Paul Caddis vs Bolton Wanderers: 3rd May

Agree of disagree? Which goals would you have put on your list? Let me know in the comments below!