Match Day Thread Bolton Wanderers @ The Macron Stadium 12/3/2016

This game was in doubt until Monday afternoon with the prospect of North End having no opponents to play as Wanderers were within minutes of being liquadated due to their lack of money, they presently owe the tax man well over £2million an amount which is getting bigger by the day. They have debts of £180 million and basically look up **** creek. They have a knight in shining armour waiting to save them in the form of Dean Holdsworth however his ability to raise the money to save them is obviously doubted by the judge at the court however he has given them a stay of execution for another two weeks.
Meanwhile on the field things are getting desperate as well they are becoming detached from safety by a large margin as relegation looks almost a certainty.
It is a good job their home record is decent otherwise they would have been down weeks ago, they still seem to have a bit of spirit within the team as they managed to scrape a point with a late penalty at home to Ipswich on Tuesday night.
Sometime in the future it looks as if a fire sale of players will happen, they have the highly rated Zach Clough who turned down a recent move to Bristol City and Mark Davies who looked like he was on his way to Hillsborough. Heskey is still knocking around but it has been one struggle for the Trotters.
Garner suspended for North End which should give Hugill and Robinson a chance to get some game time in, we need to be a bit more clinical up front otherwise we tend to get punished. Just shy of 5000 making the trip to Horwich should be a good atmosphere but this is no gimme of a game.

 

It was worth the 26 years wait to win on Wanderers soil, although at half time it looked as it would be a truly flay day for the 4500 travelling support on Gentry Day, and for the first time this season in an away game we have come from behind to win. A trip to the Macron is a highlight as it is one of our local games this season, a cracking atmosphere at kick off and a tremendous start by North End Reach, down the left Hugill's header clipped the top of the bar. From then on however it was Wanderers who were on top. Bizarrely for a team stuck at the bottom they did not play too badly in the first half although has to be said North End's passing was woeful and the inability to tackle in midfield apart from Pearson was non existent. Wanderers began to probe away passing the ball around with Clough looking the more likely to score if anyone was, Madine majestically fell over trying to claim a penalty(probably weighed down by a tag on his ankle) But a goal was coming and it was extremely well worked and well finished by Feeney who passed the ball into the net from 20 yards. Clough had a tame shot blocked by the North End defence but distinctly second best in the first half.
Funny by switching two player's position on the pitch a team plays better, Robinson and Reach swapped wings and it was a totally different North End that came out in the second half, a Robinson cross was narrowly missed by both Hugill and Gallagher, as with the first half Wanderers started to get on top but North End had a way back into the game down either. Clough fell over in the North End box, no penalty given and Lindegaard had to be alert to save a coiple of shots, but the pressure on the Wanderers goal began to grow, Robinson again down the left, someone flicked the ball back into the six yards box, Hugill with brave header which possibly Rabchuka should have saved.
With a draw not being what was wanted for Wanderers the game opened up into a thriller both teams going for the win and North End amazingly playing on the break with pace although their reluctance to shoot when well placed is a nightmare.
Wanderers surprisingly took off both Clough and Pratley but little winger Wellington started to pose problems, he too fell over in the area, nothing was given.With about four minutes remaining the points were going back up the M61, Robinson again down the left however Cunningham put the cross in, it missed Doyle but not Vermijl who was steaming in at the back post to crash the ball home with possibly a deflection off Doyle. Cue departing Wanderers fans, North End were denied a third with a marginal offside decision against Doyle after another fine pass by Vermijl. All that was left was professional substitute Stephen Dobbie to come on but North End held on to keep themselves on the edge of the play offs.
As for Bolton League 1 awaits with Dean Holdsworth now in charge of the club, I'd be worried if I was a Wanderers fan.

Bolton Wanderers 1 Preston North End 2 Att 18600

Neil Lennon

"I thought we played well first half; I thought Preston were strong second half but we had a good spell and Zach Clough had great chance to put us 2-1 up. We missed good chances again to win the game and we got caught by a sucker punch.

"The sooner [the transfer embargo] gets lifted the better. If we can get players in quickly it would be of great benefit because the squad is very thin.

"[Referring to Jay Spearing's omission] If he plays 50 per cent of the games, we need to pay £100,000 to Liverpool. We tried to get it deferred but we couldn't get it done."

Preston North End manager Simon Grayson:

"We started the game well but petered out towards the back end of the first half when I don't think we were really at it.

"There were a few choice words at half-time because we have set standards and don't want the season to peter out. We want to keep winning games and see where it takes us. They responded in a positive manner and looked a far better team in the second half.

"We have been to a few grounds in recent weeks that you know if you get back in the game you are going to cause opposition problems because of the quality we have but also the nervous tension that can be around. Bolton played some good stuff at times but we were a lot better and looked a real threat with pace and energy about us."

• Line-ups
• Match Stats
• Live Text

 

Got the Wanderers scorer wrong it was Trotter

 

Another 3-5-3 by SG. Reports have it that NE improved on going to 4-44-2.

Apparently Alves is looking to leave Barca in the Summer. Well, if Leicester wins the Premiership, then nothing is predictable. And Arsenal have just scored against Barca!!!

 

Interesting formations Barnet 11 and 14 outfield players could catch on!!!!