The 1980-1981 league season proved to be a debacle for Bolton as they struggled to find any form in their return to the second division. Under new manager, Stan Anderson, they could only manage a poor 18th place finish. They had a horrid time in the FA Cup, suffering defeat against Nottingham Forest in the third round.
George Mulhall took charge at the club during the 1981-1982 season and everything went from bad to worse for the Trotters. They were awful in the second division and narrowly escaped relegation as they could only manage a 19th position finish. Brian Kidd and Paul Jones were the only major pluses coming out of Bolton’s campaign.
Paul Jones went on to leave Bolton at the end of the 1982-1983 season and it was a campaign that proved to be awful for Wanderers as they finished the season off in 22nd place, in turn relegating the club to the third division, for the first time in eleven years. John McGovern was the man who took charge at Bolton during the 1982-1983 season however it roved to be a disastrous first season in charge.
The trotters could not discover the immediate return they went in search for during the 1983-84 season as they finished the campaign off in 10th place. They suffered elimination in the third round of the FA Cup, losing against Sunderland.
Bolton embarked on another poor season during the 1984-1985 campaign as they finished the season off in 17th place. This was their worst finish in their football league history since the club was formed in 1880. They even suffered an absolute hammering in the third round of the League cup, a 6-1 humiliating defeat against Notts County.