Ahead of tomorrow’s game against Reading, bwfc.co.uk take a look back in history at some of the players who have turned out for both sides in the post war era.
Ali Al Habsi
Becoming the first and only Omanian player to ever play in the Premier League, Al-Habsi joined Wanderers back in 2006 from Norwiegan club Lyn Oslo.
Despite first team appearances being tough to come by due to battling it out with Jussi Jaaskelainen, Al-Habsi is remembered fondly by Wanderers’ fans for his performances in the UEFA Cup against the likes of Bayern Munich and Sporting Lisbon.
He joined Reading in 2015/16 and spent two seasons there, being named Player of the Year for 2016 and 2017 before moving to his current club Al-Hilal in the Saudi Professional League.
Andy Taylor
Current Whites full back Taylor joined Reading briefly on loan from Wigan Athletic in 2015/16. He made 23 appearances that season for the Royals, which saw them finish 17thin the Sky Bet Championship.
After the spell at Madejski Stadium, Taylor had a loan spell at Bolton where he was a mainstay in the side that got promoted to the Championship in 2016/17.
Following on from that triumph, Taylor signed a two-year deal with the club.
Brian Bromley
In a five year stay in the 1960s, Bromley 184 appearances for Wanderers, making his debut as a 16-year-old against Sheffield United. During those appearances, he netted 26 times for the club.
Coming towards the end of his career, Bromley spent time at Reading in the 1974/75 season. The Royals finished seventh that season, when they were playing in Division 4 of English football.
Danny Guthrie
The midfielder joined Bolton on loan back in 2007/08 from Liverpool at the age of 20.
He played 30 times for the club that year, including games in the UEFA Cup under former manager Gary Megson.
In 2012, Guthrie joined Reading from Newcastle United on a three-year deal. With over 50 appearances made at the Madjeski Stadium, Guthrie helped them finished as high as seventh in the league in his first season at the club.
Jem Karacan
The former Reading youth graduate spent 12 years at the Berkshire based club from 2003 to 2015. Karacan made over 150 appearances during that time, which included a Sky Bet Championship success in 2011/12, where the Royals were crowned champions with the midfielder playing a pivotal role in then manager Brian McDermott’s team.
In March 2017, the former Galatasaray man joined the Whites and instantly made an impact at the University of Bolton Stadium, scoring on debut against Peterborough United on the final day of the season. That, being the day Wanderers secured promotion to the Sky Bet Championship.
Relive those highlights right here!
John Hulme
The defender spent ten years with the Whites during the 1960s, where he made over 200 appearances for the club.
After falling out of favour at the Whites, due to the defensive pairing of Paul Jones and Warwick Rimmer, Hulme moved to Reading in July 1972 for £10,000.
In that tenure with the Royals, he was named in the 1973/74 Fourth Division PFA Team of the Year.
Les Ferdinand
Ferdinand spent short spells with both clubs involved in today’s fixtures.
Joining Wanderers in 2004 from Leicester City, Ferdinand scored only once for the club. However, this goal was quite memorable, as it came against Manchester United in the final minutes of the home fixture that season.
This, being his last goal to come in the Premier League.
From BL6 to RG2, as Ferdinand moved to the Madejski Stadium the following season.
He appeared 14 times for the Royals, scoring once.
Matt Mills
Centre back Mills spent two seasons at Reading from 2009 to 2011, making 75 appearances for the club after signing from Doncaster Rovers for a reported fee of £2 million.
He captained the side in the 2011 Championship play-off Final, where the Royals fell at the final hurdle to Swansea City in a 4-2 defeat.
July 2012 saw Mills join the Whites from Leicester City. With just under 100 Wanderers appearances in a three-season stint with the club, Mills was named vice-captain in 2014/15, the year where he finished third in the Player of the Season voting.
Zat Knight
A former England international defender, Knight joined Bolton in 2009 from Aston Villa on a three-year contract.
In a five-year stay, Knight 191 appearances for Wanderers and was also named captain for the 2013/14 campaign.
After a brief spell in the United States with Colorado Rapids, Knight saw out his career with Reading at the end of the 2014/15 season.