Bolton Wanderers vs Morecambe

AARON MORLEY WASN’T BORN WHEN WANDERERS MOVED INTO THE
UNIVERSITY OF BOLTON STADIUM.
And he was just two when the
Whites celebrated their 125th
anniversary with the special
one-off shirt they wore against
Fulham five-and-a-half years later
in January 2003.
The history of the club and its
current home isn’t lost on the
midfielder, though, as he recalls
the impact the stadium had on his
formative years.
“When I was growing up Bolton
were in the Premier League, so it
was always the biggest stadium
around here,” said Morley, who
donned the aforementioned
anniversary jersey for tonight’s
‘The Wanderer’ cover shoot as we
continue to mark 25 years since relocating
from Burnden Park .
“It was always like a dream to play
here. It was amazing driving past
and thinking ‘hopefully one day I
can play there’.”
That chance might have come
earlier than it did after Morley
spent time with the Whites as he
moved into his teens.
The Bury-born hopeful had begun
at Manchester City before joining
Wanderers’ Academy.
It proved to be a false start with
Morley moving on to Rochdale
where he served his scholarship
and first became a professional
player.
But having moved back to the
Whites last January with 120 firstteam
appearances under his belt
he certainly looks at home now as
a key part of Ian Evatt’s side.
“When I was 13 and getting that
contract for a year it was like ‘this
is where I want to be’,” recalled
Morley.
“It didn’t work out that time but I’m
back now and it’s turned out how I
hoped it would.
“All the staff and everyone behind
the scenes are amazing and
hopefully we can get the club back
to be a Premier League club.”
That may still a bit off but
Wanderers are determined to
mount a challenge in League One
this season to continue their climb
back up the divisions under Evatt.
“Our aim is to try and get promoted
– nothing less, so hopefully we
can keep the momentum going
and kick on for the season,” said
Morley.
He and the team certainly made
a positive start with an openingday
draw at Ipswich followed by a
superb 3-0 win over last season’s
beaten play-off finalists Wycombe
Wanderers in the first home game
of the campaign.
Wanderers had never taken a point
from Wycombe – or scored a goal
in their four previous meetings –
but the Chairboys faced a different
proposition this time around.
“Every player put in a 100 per cent.
We were brave in possession
and closed them down with a lot
of intensity and I don’t think they
could deal with us.
“As soon as we got the ball back
we broke quickly and it resulted in
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The Wanderer | 21