Pre-season : FC Tampa Bay - Bolton Wanderers

Bolton4Europe · Jul 14, 2011

Our first pre-season game of the 11/12 season, where Coyle gets his first look at a team with one new signing (so far) and without Elmander.

Can't find any team news or anything and it's in America so kick off is at 2:30 in the morning for us in the UK.

Looking on FC Tampa Bay's website, they are advertising the game as though we have 'international superstars' so I think there will be a big turnout for the home team.

Hopefully, Coyle will test some tactics against these lot as we're going to have to play well if we are going to take any points from the first 5/6 games, which include Man Utd, Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea.

I'll post the result and whatever report I can in a post below.

If you are a guest, but thinking the board is dead, then join and make it so it is not dead, I'm the only active Bolton fan, but if I spot any threads being made, I'll be sure to debate with anyone .

COYWM!!

Bolton4Europe · Jul 15, 2011

FC Tampa Bay 1 - 0 Bolton Wanderers

Team Sheet : Jaaskelainen (Bogdan 46), Steinsson (Connolly 74), Robinson (Alonso 46), Cahill, Taylor (Petrov 46), Knight (Wheater 46), Mark Davies (Gardner 46), Pratley (Muamba 46), Chung-Yong (Obadeyi 74), Kevin Davies (Eaves 74), Klasnic (Blake 46).

We are bad at pre-season, ah well. Here's a report from the bwfc website.

Misfortune in front of goal counted against Wanderers as FC Tampa Bay edged Thursday's tour opener at Al Lang Stadium.

Second-half substitute Matt Clare grabbed the only goal of the game, however credit must go to Evan Newton in the home goal after he had earlier made a series of top drawer saves to keep the game goalless.

The shot-stopper, who was introduced at the half-time break, denied Kevin Davies, Chung-Yong Lee and Robbie Blake in quick succession after the restart before Tampa Bay grabbed the match-winning goal on 65 minutes with a swift breakaway move.

Martin Petrov also hit a post for the Whites, who fielded a total of 21 players throughout the 90 minutes.

Owen Coyle fielded a very strong looking first eleven with eight of the team named having started against Manchester City in the final game of last season.

Darren Pratley, who looked neat and tidy throughout the first half, was handed his full debut for the Whites in centre midfield alongside Mark Davies, while Ivan Klasnic partnered Kevin Davies in attack.

The first 45 minutes passed by without a goal as Bolton eased themselves back into match conditions in their first fixture since May.

Chung-Yong Lee in particular caught the eye for the Whites, with his movement and trickery causing several problems for the Tampa defence. The South Korean continuously popped-up in all sorts of attacking positions and, indeed, it was the former FC Seoul man who had Bolton's best chance of the first half shortly before the interval.

After Klasnic had pivoted and played a perfect slide-rule pass out to the right wing, Chung-Yong cut inside and sliced wide from an acute angle.

This had taken place minutes after Jussi Jaaskelainen had produced three almost identical saves to prevent the hosts from nudging ahead. The big Finn looked as sharp as ever when he dove to his right to repel drives from outside the box by Aaron King, Mike Ambersley and Mozzi Gyorio.

Moments before the break, Mark Davies thought he had opened the scoring for Bolton after knocking the ball over the line via the underside of the crossbar.

However, the assistant referee had raised his flag following the initial cross into the box by Matt Taylor, which had drifted just over the byline before Gary Cahill could send it back into the six yard area.

As expected, Coyle made wholesale changes at half-time as no less than seven substitutions were made. David Wheater, Ricardo Gardner, Martin Petrov, Robbie Blake, Adam Bogdan, Marcos Alonso, Fabrice Muamba were all were given the opportunity to get miles in their legs by featuring in the second 45 minutes.

Wanderers did everything but score in the second half as an inspired goalkeeping display by substitute Evan Newton denied the Whites from hitting the back of the net.

After Petrov had struck the inside of the post with a shot from 12 yards, the goalkeeper - on loan from MLS side Houston Dynamo - made three brilliant saves to thwart Chung-Yong Lee, Kevin Davies and Robbie Blake.

It only seemed a matter of time before Bolton would break the deadlock, but the only goal of the game arrived at the opposite end of the field as substitutes Pascal Millien and Matt Clare combined to finish-off a swift counter-attack.

Clare had only been on the field a couple of minutes when he converted with his left foot at the far post from ten yards out.

Coyle gave Tom Eaves, Tope Obadeyi and Mark Connolly 15 minutes to try and help Wanderers get back on level terms, and the latter was inches away from scoring on his first team debut with a shot from outside the area which deflected wide of the post ten minutes before the end.

That incident more or less summed up Bolton's luck in front of goal as Tampa Bay held on to secure the win, much to the delight of the boisterous home crowd who had enjoyed the experience of seeing a Premier League club visit their patch.

Next up for Wanderers is Orlando SC on Sunday evening.
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Pre-season : FC Tampa Bay - Bolton Wanderers

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Pre-season : FC Tampa Bay - Bolton Wanderers

Bolton4Europe Active Member

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