Bolton Wanderers Res.

Bolton Wanderers Res. have taken the Central League twice, in 1954–55 and again forty years later in 1994–95, and added the FA Premier Reserve League's Northern Division in 2006–07. More recently they took the Lancashire Senior Cup in the 2024–25 season.

The team dates back to 1921, well after the first side had already settled into its identity as Bolton Wanderers, and it has spent most of its life doing the job reserve sides do: giving young players their first taste of senior football before they are ready for the main team. Kevin Nolan was the first to make that step up from these ranks to the first team.

They wear the same white shirt and navy blue shorts as the first team but have never needed a nickname of their own beyond the plain description of what they are — the Reserves, or the under-23s, depending on the season's format. There is no rivalry attached to them specifically; whatever edge exists against Blackburn Rovers or Preston North End belongs to the first team and the supporters who travel to watch it.

Matches are played at the Eddie Davies Academy in Lostock, a ground built for development football rather than crowds.