106 Geoff Lomax

Position : Right back (also played centre half and midfield)

Played : 1987-88 to 1988-89

Appearances : 71

Goals : 0

We move into the 1987-88 season now and Eddie Gray needed new full backs after releasing Ian Johnson and Dave Grant. His choice at right back was Geoff on a free transfer from just-relegated Carlisle. Geoff started out at Manchester City where he'd had a brief run in the first team before being loaned out to Wolves. He moved on to Carlisle making 37 appearances over 18 months.

I was now working so started going to the majority of away games. Trouble was my mates weren't as flush so didn't go on the longer trips and I fell in with a dick from my old school (who still goes to games so I'd better not name him) . He had an absolute vendetta against Geoff and never ceased slagging him off from day one. To be fair he didn't look great at first and the City fans I knew didn't speak well of him either. John Bramhall was supposed to have called him one of the worst full backs in the League after the Leyton Orient game. Shortly after this Geoff took matters into his own hands and suggested to Eddie Gray that he would get a better return if he and Jason Smart swapped positions. It's debatable whether the move did Jason any favours but Geoff certainly looked better playing alongside the centre half and became noted for his crucial and clean last ditch tackles. So much so that he won the Supporter's Club Player of the Year. The Dick was having none of it; he only had to make those tackles because he couldn't read the game.

For the following season Geoff was made club captain but didn't play as often and was moved into midfield when Shaun Reid departed for York. He wasn't very impressive in that position and new boss Terry Dolan released him in the summer. He got a job as Bolton's Football in the Community Officer while still playing for the likes of Chorley and Curzon Ashton and is now the PFA's Regional Coach for the North West.