Bolton's first foray into European football will be against Bulgarian side Lokomotiv Plovdiv, a club whose links to organised crime were brutally highlighted by the assassination of their owner last night.
Georgi Iliev, a 39-year-old businessman, was shot in the chest by a sniper armed with a rifle while at a restaurant after his club's 1-0 win over OFK Belgrade secured them a place in the Uefa Cup first round.
Iliev was under investigation by police who believed he was involved in organised crime - his brother was also murdered five years ago, one of several hundred people who have been killed in Bulgarian gangland wars.
Bolton chairman Phil Gartside admitted that Plovdiv was not his first-choice destination and expressed his shock at the shooting.
He said: "It sounds unbelievable that something like that could happen and we appreciate it must be difficult for the club at this point.
"We don't know much about them as a football side. We looked at the list of five teams we could play and which we favoured and I think Plovdiv was bottom of the list. But so what? It's a great honour to be representing Bolton Wanderers in a European draw for the first time.
"And whoever it is, it doesn't matter. We will probably take 2,000 or 3,000 fans there. I don't really know where it is or how easy it is to get there.
"But they are probably saying `where the hell is Bolton?' "
Everton will also be heading to eastern Europe in the Uefa Cup as their consolation for failing to qualify for the Champions League is an encounter with Dinamo Bucharest.
Middlesbrough will face their old midfielder Emerson, one of four Brazilians now playing for Greek side Xanthi.
Manager Steve McClaren said: "I'm sure the talking point of the game when it comes up will be the return of Emerson.
"He was a good signing for Boro. I played against him when I was at Derby quite a few times, so I know all about him."
Draw
Uefa Cup First Round draw
Group 1: Auxerre v Levski Sofia; Hamburg v FC Copenhagen; Slavia Prague v Cork City; Metalurh Donetsk v PAOK Salonika; Dinamo Bucharest v Everton.
Group 2: Myllykosken v Grasshopper-Club Zurich; Red Star Belgrade v Braga; Germinal Beerschot v Marseille; Bayer Leverkusen v CSKA Sofia; CSKA Moscow v Midtjylland.
Group 3: Vitoria Setubal v Sampdoria; Sevilla v Mainz; Basle v Siroki Brijeg; Feyenoord v Rapid Bucharest; Hibernian v Dnipro.
Group 4: Rennes v Osasuna; Vitoria Guimaraes v Wisla Krakow; Krylia Sovetov Samara v AZ Alkmaar; Stuttgart v Domzale; Valerenga v Steaua Bucharest.
Group 5: Graz AK v Strasbourg; Lokomotiv Moscow v SK Brann; Palermo v Anorthosis Famagusta; Halmstads v Sporting Lisbon; Middlesbrough v Xanthi.
Group 6: Maccabi Petach-Tivka v Partizan Belgrade; Aris Thessaloniki v Roma; Besiktas v Malmo; Litex Lovech v Genk; Banik Ostrava v Heerenveen.
Group 7: Hertha Berlin v APOEL Nicosia; Teplice v Espanyol; Monaco v Willem II; Viking v Austria Vienna; Brondby v FC Zurich.
Group 8: Lens v Groclin; Tromso v Galatasaray; Bolton v Lokomotiv Plovdiv; Shakhtar Donetsk v Debrecen; Zenit St Petersburg v AEK Athens.
It might have drawn a snigger or possibly even a snort of indignation but is it really so ludicrous to suggest Steve Harper deserves an England call-up?
I don't think so....
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