After a tough few years, Bolton Wanderers look to be finally back on track despite being in League Two right now.

There has been much fan apathy towards the team and the former board, but new ownership from Football Ventured Ltd has brought a renewed optimism, despite being relegated last season.

It looked like this season would be a struggle as well at one point, with Ian Evatt struggling to make an impact after his move from Barrow, but they're now unbeaten in 13 matches and sit in the automatic promotion places.

Wanderers have a nice blend of youth and experience in their team, with seven players in their squad aged 30 or above who are in and around Evatt's regular starting line-up.

They include the likes of Eoin Doyle and Kieran Lee who have been two of the catalysts for their success, but they won't come close to being in the top 10 oldest players to ever play for Wanderers - let's look at who those men are.

Beardsley had a storied career with the likes of Carlisle United, Liverpool and Newcastle United, and after his second stint at the Magpies was over he joined Wanderers in 1997.

The striker still had an eye for goal, having scored eight goals in his final season at St. James' Park, but he failed to make a real impact for the Trotters after his £450,000 move - age had definitely caught up with him.

Beardsley scored just twice in 17 games and his last appearance for the club before going on loan spells in the same season to Man City and Fulham was in a 5-1 drubbing at home to Coventry City at the age of 37 years and 13 days.

A classy operator at his peak for Real Madrid and the Spain national team, Hierro was winding his career down in the Middle East when he made a surprise move to Bolton in 2004, teaming up with Ivan Campo to add a bit of flair to proceedings at the Reebok Stadium.

Hierro's influence was powerful - he made 29 Premier League appearances in his sole season at the club as they finished sixth in the top flight, his last outing coming at the age of 37 years, one month and 22 days in a 3-2 victory over Everton.

Then-manager Sam Allardyce wanted to keep the Spanish veteran but he decided to retire instead - but what a year he had in Greater Manchester.

A man who won many honours with Manchester United, Dunne had made 535 appearances for the Red Devils, the third-highest at the time of his departure in 1973, as he went on to join Wanderers, dropping down into the Second Division.

The Irish left-back remained at the club for six years, winning the Second Division title in 1978 before departing a year later, his last outing coming at the age of 37 years, nine months and seven days in a 4-1 defeat to Liverpool in May 1979 in the First Division - lining up alongside a certain Sam Allardyce in defence.

Dunne would end up retiring in the USA with Detroit Express before returning to Bolton as assistant manager in the very same year he departed as a player.

After failing to make the grade at Tottenham, Bolton took a punt on the Icelandic defender for just £65,000 in 1995 - it proved to be one of the best decisions the club ever made.

Bergsson was part of sides that got relegated and promoted from and to the Premier League regularly, but he remained a constant solid figure at the heart of the defence and stayed at the club until his eventual retirement in 2003.

Bolton had finally solidified themselves as a Premier League team in 2003 and Bergsson's final outing came in May of that year in a 2-1 win over Middlesbrough at the age of 37 years, nine months and 20 days, bringing an end to the Iceman's eight years at the club.

A man who had scored goals wherever he'd been previously, Ferdinand rocked up at Bolton very late in his career and despite his advancing years, scored 12 Premier League goals for Leicester City the season prior.

So it wasn't a shock to see Bolton pick him up to add more experience to their team, but Ferdinand rarely started and was mainly a bench player, scoring just once in a game against Manchester United.

Ferdinand only stayed at the Trotters for a few months, and his last game came at the age of 38 years and 24 days in a 1-0 home loss to Blackburn Rovers.

One of the top appearance makers in Premier League history, Speed ended a six-year association with Newcastle United to join Bolton in 2004 for £750,000 - not many 34-year-old's would command such a fee back then.

Speed was a steady hand for Bolton and in the 2006/07 season at the age of 37 he would bag eight Premier League goals in one season which was a pretty remarkable feat.

The Welshman did eventually wind down the following season though making 14 appearances and leaving halfway through for Sheffield United of the Championship - his final appearance coming in a white shirt in December 2007 in a 4-1 success over Wigan Athletic at the age of 38 years, three months and one day.

Heskey may not have ended up being a prolific goalscorer in his career, but he was a very effective striker as several Premier League clubs found out.

However by the time he made it to Bolton, the 62-cap England international had already had a stint abroad in Australia and returned to England in 2014 and moved into the Championship for the first time in his career.

Heskey made 48 appearances for Bolton in a year-and-a-half, scoring just three goals before retiring at the end of his contract in 2016 - his last game coming in a 1-0 loss to Fulham in May 2016 at the age of 38 years, three months and 26 days.

Another ageing striker who ended up at Wanderers, although not quite having the same pedigree as Heskey, Wilbraham had a bit of a career renaissance at Bristol City in late 30's, which led to Bolton picking him up in 2017 for an undisclosed fee to bring him closer to his Cheshire roots.

Wilbraham wasn't prolific in his sole season at the Trotters but he did play 27 times, scoring twice but one of them was a big one - coincidentally in his final game for the club.

At the age of 38 years, six months and 15 days, Wilbraham netted the winner for Bolton in a 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest in May 2018 that kept them in the Championship - the striker would depart after that and move on to Rochdale.

It was about time a goalkeeper got onto this list and it just so happens that the number two on here currently plays for Wanderers.

Ian Evatt brought Gilks in initially as a player-goalkeeper coach, with more emphasis on the coaching role, however after the poor form of Fleetwood loanee Billy Crellin, Gilks was given a run in the team and he hasn't looked back.

Gilks has made 26 appearances this season in League One, making the number one shirt his own and at the age of 38 years, nine months and 23 days he kept a clean sheet in the 1-0 victory over Forest Green Rovers on Saturday.

The only player on this list to play into his 40's for Wanderers, Poole had an incredible playing career that only finished in 2014 at the age of 50.

Poole was at Bolton for four years and was only brought in as cover, but played four times in the league for them in that period, the final time coming at the age of 41 years, five months and 11 days in a January 2005 Premier League clash with West Brom.

Bolton drew that game 1-1 and it would be the final time Trotters fans would see Poole - he went to Derby County then went on to make 123 appearances for Burton Albion in the lower leagues in his mid-to-late 40's.