John Gradwell

Legend, the Life of Roy 'chopper' Hartle John Gradwell

ROY 'CHOPPER' HARTLE 'The backbone of the club' - Gordon Taylor 'Bolton Wanderers through and through and a legend' - Andrew Dean, BWFC Promotions Manager 'A gentleman off the pitch but so committed on it' - Syd Farrimond Read the story of a man, the youngest of ten children, who became the toughest player in the Football League's most fearsome defence and was reckoned by many to be the best right-back never to play for England. A man who was part of the team which lifted Bolton's last major domestic trophy - the FA Cup - after a 2-0 triumph over Manchester United. A man who coached the manager who would later steer his team to World Cup Final victory. And a man who was proud to represent Bolton Wanderers at the opening of the new Wembley and one of only three BWFC legends to have part of the Reebok Stadium named after him. * Cover illustration by Walt Howarth. who wittily captures Roy's distinctive playing style in this cartoon from 2000. Walt, a big Bolton fan, first became involved with the Wanderers by drawing players for the match-day programme from the mid-1940s onwards. He also provided the art work for many children's books in the 1950s and 1960s and is best remembered for the illustrations he did for the Doctor Who annuals. Walt, pictured with Eddie Hopkinson, Roy and Nat Lofthouse, died in 2008 aged eighty. His ashes are scattered on the Reebok pitch.