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Forgotten Wanderers #6: Chris Armstrong

We've signed some shite over the years....

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

In the pantheon of shitty Bolton Wanderers strikers of yesteryear there is a particular place saved at the top table for one Chris Armstrong.

Born in Newcastle, some 44 years ago, the lad had a weird spot on the top of nose, and it defined his career.

Turning pro in Wales with Wrexham in 1989, when I was six, Armstrong bounced around the lower leagues before settling at Crystal Palace (#freeChungy) where he made his name with an impressive return of 45 goals in 118 games.

In March 1995, Armstrong tested positive for cannabis, becoming the first ever Premier player to fail a drug test. However, he returned to the game within a month after attending a brief rehab programme. He finished the season on 18 goals, not enough to save Palace from the drop.

A then-record £4.5m move to Tottenham Hotspur followed in 1995. He spent seven years at the London club, netting a decent enough haul of 48 goals in 148 games - not a million miles away from the form that earned him a big move in the first place.

Joining a Sam Allardyce-led Bolton Wanderers in 2002, he made just one appearance for the mighty Whites, in a forgettable 1-0 home loss to Bury in the League Cup.

He then returned to Wrexham, where he retired in 2005.

A big fat bag of meh.