Burnden Aces

Roy Hartle (1931-2014)

• November 05, 2014 | By Chris Mann
• Short URL: http://b-ac.es/76e2f

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Former Bolton Wanderers defender Roy Hartle has passed away at the age of 83.

Hartle, who played for Wanderers between 1952 and 1966, had been suffering with an illness and died peacefully, surrounded by his family, at a local nursing home on Wednesday.

Born in Catshill, near Birmingham, Hartle's first steps into football came at Bromsgrove Rovers, where his performances at youth level saw him earn a move to Burnden Park at the age of 16.

He went on to make a total of 499 appearances for Wanderers, scoring 13 goals, in a career which saw him win the FA Cup in 1958 - in Bolton's 2-0 victory over Manchester United, at Wembley Stadium.

In 2007, Hartle suffered a devastating stroke, leaving the left-hand side of his body paralysed.

Having spent five months in hospital and battled through intensive physiotherapy, Hartle remained a regular at Bolton games and could often be found at hospitality events - watching on from a wheelchair.

His struggles of the last seven years have now come to an end, however, as Hartle joins fellow greats such as Nat Lofthouse and Eddie Hopkinson as legendary names associated with Bolton Wanderers to have passed in recent years.

Everybody at Burnden Aces would like to send their condolences to Roy's family at this difficult time.

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