Bolton Wanderers were founded in 1874, with Horwich recorded as their home location. Before the Premier League they had won 4 FA Cups, alongside earlier league honours. Their last FA Cup in that earlier record came in 1957/58. The archive's detailed league history starts in 1992/93, before Bolton's first Premier League appearance.

Burnden Park and the first relegation

The opening Premier League season ended with Bolton bottom of the table. Burnden Park was still their home, and that campaign included their heaviest recorded league defeat, at home to Manchester United. The score was 0–6. Relegation ended the first spell before a later return to the division.

A new ground and a longer second return

The ground history changes in 1997/98 to the stadium now recorded as Toughsheet Community Stadium. That return also ended in relegation, with Bolton finishing 18th. A winter winless run lasted 12 league matches during the campaign.

Their next Premier League spell began in 2001/02. A 5–0 away victory at Leicester City remains their widest league win in the archive, within a campaign that ended outside the relegation positions. The following season finished closer to the bottom, with Bolton in 17th place.

Their points total increased in that second campaign, despite the lower final position. The team also finished with a less negative goal difference than in the return season. Both campaigns nonetheless ended below the top half, before the subsequent run of higher finishes changed that pattern.

Top-half years before the final exit

An 8th-place finish preceded their best campaign here. Bolton reached 6th the following season, with their highest points total in the same campaign. The next campaign returned 56 points, close to the previous season's total but with a lower final placing. Further upper-half finishes followed before a lower placing in the next campaign.

Later seasons remained below the top half, ending with another relegation. The final covered season was 2011/12, with Bolton placed 18th.