With Ian Greaves in charge of the club, Bolton embarked on a fine campaign during the 1975-1976 season as they were outstanding in the second division, unfortunate to miss out on promotion back into the top flight as they finished the season off in forth place, an identical position they would reach by the end of the following campaign. The Trotters reached the fifth round of the FA Cup; however they suffered defeat against Newcastle United.
The 1976- 1977 campaign saw the Trotters reach the semi finals of the league cup, suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat against Everton in the last four of the competition.
The 1977-1978 campaign proved to be a huge success for Bolton manager Ian Greaves and the entire team as they were in emphatic form in the league finishing the campaign off as the second division champions and Frank Worthington was inspirational for the club scoring some incredible goals. The Trotters converted their fantastic league form into great FA Cup form as they reached the fifth round, unfortunate to narrowly lose against Middlesbrough. Bolton struggled to make an impact in their return to the top flight and only managed to finish the 1978-79 season off in 17th place. Peter Reid and Frank Worthington were in outstanding form for the club throughout the season. Their return to the top tier of English football proved to be short lived by the end of the 1979-1980 season as they plummeted to bottom position of the top flight by the end of the campaign, in turn demoting the club back into the second division, a place they would struggle to remain in over the next decade to come.