Bolton vs Ipswich: Played For Both Clubs - Ian Marshall

Ahead of tonight's game, we take a look at the career of former Bolton Wanderers and Ipswich Town player, Ian Marshall.

Ian Marshall, born 20th March 1966, started his career with hometown club Everton. After making his debut in 1985, Marshall spent a further three years at Goodison Park before moving to Oldham Athletic for a fee of £100,000 in March 1988. In total for Everton, Marshall scored 4 goals in 24 games.

Marshall would go on to spend five years at Boundary Park, and was a key part of Oldham's promotion to the top flight in 1991. Ian Marshall also played 27 times in the inaugural 1992/1993 Premier League season for Oldham, scoring two goals. In total for Oldham, Ian Marshall made 204 appearances, scoring 40 goals.

In the Summer of 1993, Marshall moved to fellow Premier League side Ipswich Town for a fee of £750,000. Marshall made his Ipswich debut against former club Oldham, and scored as Ipswich won at Boundary Park 3-0. Ian Marshall would go on to score in his first five games for Ipswich, a feat only a handful of players have managed.

Due in part to Marshall's 10 goals (15 in all competitions), Ipswich finished 19th, just ahead of Sheffield United in 20th and 21st placed Oldham, who were subsequently relegated from the Premier League. Marshall and Ipswich both suffered in the 1994/1995 season. Marshall only managed 3 league goals as Ipswich finished rock bottom of the Premier League.

The next season was one to remember for Marshall. Despite Ipswich just missing out on the Play-Offs after finishing 7th, Marshall formed a formidable partnership with striker Alex Mathie. The pair scored 19 goals each, including a cracking volley from Marshall in a 2-0 win against Charlton Athletic at the Valley in December 1995.

Marshall's scintillating form for Ipswich in the 1995/1996 season led to a move back to the Premier League with Leicester City, who paid £800,000 for Marshall in the Summer of 1996. In total for Ipswich, Ian Marshall scored 38 goals in 96 games.

Marshall spent four years at Filbert Street, scoring 26 goals in 98 games. Whilst with Leicester, Marshall scored a famous late winner against hometown club Liverpool at Anfield.

Ian Marshall also came on as a substitute for Leicester in both the 1999 and 2000 League Cup Final. Leicester lost in 1999 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur, and were victorious in 2000, beating Tranmere Rovers 2-1. (Bolton were knocked out in the Semi-Finals by Tranmere).

At the age of 34, Marshall moved to First Division side Bolton Wanderers on a free transfer. Marshall scored 6 goals in 41 games as Bolton were promoted to the Premier League via the Play-Offs, after beating Preston North End 3-0 at the Millennium Stadium.

Last year, Marshall spoke to the Bolton News about his time at the Reebok:

"You had lads like me and Dean Holdsworth – kept things light, got a bit of spirit in the place, and captain fantastic Gudni Bergsson. He had that Icelandic way about him, dead straight, but really funny.

You had real quality in Per Frandsen, who was a great player, but the lad who set it all off was Michael Ricketts – he had a wonderful season.

Sam was brilliant with me. I lived in Leicester and it was a couple of hours into Bolton so he’d let me train at home an extra day here or there.

He was one of the first people in football to really utilise all the medical equipment and one day his physio issued us with a heart monitor.

He let me take it home then bring in the results later in the week.

But as you’ll know, I wasn’t dead keen on running. And I had this old dog, called Tess.

She was about 15 and I worked it out in human terms and reckoned she could handle a run about in the park. It turns out the heart monitor fitted her perfectly.

When I took the monitor back Sam got me in his office and said the results were a bit off. I told him it must be broke.

We went on like this for two weeks. Tess had never been so fit.

But they caught me in the end. Thankfully Sam saw the funny side but he wouldn’t let me have any more days off."

After only featuring four times for Bolton in the 2001/2002 season, Marshall moved on loan to Blackpool in November 2001, before making the move permanent in 2002. Marshall scored once for Blackpool in 26 games, and Captained Blackpool in the 2002 Football League Trophy Final, leading 'pool to a 4-1 win against Cambridge United.

At the end of the 2001/2002 season, Ian Marshall retired. Marshall currently runs his own football academy.