JOE Riley wasn’t even born the last time a player upped sticks from Wanderers and signed for local rivals Bury.

Striker Steve Elliott was the last man to swap clubs on a permanent basis, way back in September 1988.

A handful have made the move on loan, recent examples being Hayden White, Gregg Wylde, Bryan Small or Ricky Shakes, while Rob Lainton continued his playing career at the JD Stadium after being released by Bolton last summer.

The likes of Tony Cunningham and Mark Patterson have arrived at Wanderers in the opposite direction, having plied their trade at the old Gigg Lane.

Bury are even managed by a born-and-bred Boltonian in David Flitcroft - but it seems strange to think that despite the geographical proximity between the Whites and the Shakers, so few players have followed that particular career path.

Here we take a look at the players already in that exclusive club:

1. SIMON FARNWORTH – Chorley-born goalkeeper who started his career at Burnden Park in the early 1980s and made 139 appearances before moving on to Bury in 1987. He went on to play more than a century of games for Bury too before completing the local set with spells at Preston and Wigan.

2. PETER VALENTINE – Highly-rated defender who played 81 times for Wanderers between 1983 and 1985 before moving down the road. There he became a Shakers club legend, racking up more than 300 appearances before leaving the club in 1993 to finish his career with Carlisle and Rochdale. In all, he played more than 500 games in the Football League.

3. STEVE ELLIOTT – The last player to swap Bolton for Bury, the striker played under Brian Clough at Nottingham Forest and had a successful spell at Preston before signing for Wanderers in a £25,000 deal in 1986. He scored 11 goals in 76 games for the Whites before switching to Bury, where he added another 11 goals in 33 games.

4. RONNIE PHILLIPS – Worsley-born left-footer who broke into the Wanderers team in the mid-1960s and went on to play 175 times for the club, scoring 19 goals. Phillips moved on to Bury in 1975 and stayed for two seasons, making 77 appearances, before seeing out his days in league football with Chester. Tragically, he took his own life in April 2002.

5. JOHN RITSON – Liverpudlian right-back who was given his first run in the team by Nat Lofthouse, initially inheriting the number seven shirt vacated by Francis Lee and playing in midfield. Ritson went on to captain the club and helped them to two promotions, although he never appeared for the Whites when they finally returned to the top flight. After signing for Bury in 1978 for £25,000 he played 41 times for them and saw out the remainder of his career on non-contract terms at Burnden Park.

6. BRIAN PILKINGTON – The Leyland-born winger had already chalked up 300 games for Burnley and earned an England cap by the time he arrived at Wanderers in 1961. There he managed 86 appearances in three seasons and 11 goals before a relatively brief spell with Bury.

7. GARETH WILLIAMS – Wanderers paid a handsome £45,000 to Cardiff in 1967 but disciplinary problems ruined his time at Burnden Park. In November 1969 he refused to train with the first team because he felt he was being made a scapegoat for poor results. Williams moved to Bury in 1971 and played 42 games before announcing his retirement.