 After a short spell with Bradford City, Savage signed for Bolton Wanderers in September 1987 for a fee of £30,000.He made his debut against Halifax Town on 12 September, and scored his first Bolton goal a week later at Torquay.On 7 May 1988 he scored the winning goal against his old club Wrexham to give Bolton promotion from the Fourth Division, and played on the winning side at Wembley in the Football League Trophy final in 1989, the second time he had won the tournament in his career.