BWFC 0-0 Colchester

Report: Bolton Wanderers 0-0 Colchester United


Colchester United frustrated Bolton Wanderers as they held Ian Evatt’s men to a goaless draw at the University of Bolton Stadium on Good Friday.

The hosts dominated the first half, hitting the woodwork on two occasions before seeing a perfectly good goal from Eoin Doyle chalked out for offside.

But the visitors held Wanderers and proved to be obdurate during the second-half.

Ian Evatt made just one change to his starting XI with Arthur Gnahoua coming in for George Thomason who was named among the substitutes.

Prior to kick-off, the players held a minute's applause in memory of our former striker and club legend Frank Worthington.

Wanderers began the game in good tempo and holding onto the ball for long spells, hardly giving their opponents any sight of the ball.

Declan John clipped the top of the crossbar with a well-struck free-kick after six minutes when Dapo Afolayan was hacked down just outside the box.

MJ Williams fired wide after Wanderers probed their way into an attacking position thanks to some good footwork from Afolayan and Kieran Lee.

Dean Gerken kept out a Doyle header at full stretch after the Irishman got on the end of Gethin Jones’s deflected cross.

Gerken was in the thick of the action yet again when he kept out a strong strike off Lee who received the ball after Afolayan split the defence open.

Wanderers had the ball in the back of the net after 29 minutes but Doyle’s effort was ruled out for offside when Jones’s initial effort was tipped onto the crossbar by Gerken.

Although Wanderers dominated play during the majority of the opening 45 minutes they were frustrated by Colchester.

The visitors enjoyed their best spell of the game during the opening stages of the second half, pressing Wanderers and earning a series of corners.

Noah Chilvers flashed wide with a volley to give Wanderers a scare when Miles Welch-Hayes’s header wasn’t cleared by the hosts' defence.

Evatt made a double substitution on the hour mark with Zack Elbouzedi and Marcus Maddison coming on for Nathan Delfouneso and Arthur Gnahoua respectively.

Ten minutes later, Shaun Miller came on for Afolayan as Wanderers looked to bolster their attacking options.

Gerken made an acrobatic save to keep out an Elbouzedi curler from distance after the Irishman won back possession inside the Colchester half

Lee’s corner eventually found Miller at the far post but the striker’s effort didn’t have enough power on it to trouble Gerken and United weathered the storm to hold on for a point.

Wanderers stretched their unbeaten run to 14 games and moved into third spot of the Sky Bet League Two table.



Bolton Wanderers: Gilks, Jones, John, Lee, Baptiste, Almeida Santos, Gnahoua (Maddison 61), Williams, Doyle, Delfouneso (Elbouzedi 61), Afolayan (Miller 69)

Subs Not Used: Thomason, Tutte, Isgrove, Brockbank,


Colchester United: Gerken, Welch-Hayes, Eastman, Smith, Clampin, Lapslie (Stevenson 77), Pell, Senior, Chilvers (Cowan-Hall 88), Sarpong-Wiredu, Nouble (Brown 76).

Subs Not Used: George, Doherty, Tchamadeu, Folivi.

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Who’d have thought that Tranmere, FGR, Morecambe, Newport and Exeter would all lose?

Just underlines what a missed opportunity today’s game was for us.

I'd like to see Miller given a chance at Newport. We're not scoring enough goals, we need to try something different.

Natasha Whittam wrote:I'd like to see Miller given a chance at Newport. We're not scoring enough goals, we need to try something different.

Who would you replace Fonz?  i think Isgrove provides more energy than either Fonz or Arthur and with the slow buid up, a bit of energy would help.  

No way will he drop Doyle.

wessy wrote:Who would you replace Fonz?  i think Isgrove provides more energy than either Fonz or Arthur and with the slow buid up, a bit of energy would help.  

No way will he drop Doyle.

I agree there's no way he'll drop Doyle but I don't see why it shouldn't be an option. We simply don't keep hold of the ball enough in the final third for my liking.

I think we need our club captain back as soon as he's fit enough.....even if he can only manage 60 minutes for now.

okocha wrote:I think we need our club captain back as soon as he's fit enough.....even if he can only manage 60 minutes for now.

For that game definitely as he’s a ball winner in midfield and is good enough to unpick tight defences, but we need options for different challenges and Evatt has to pick the right ones at the right time.

So many different styles in this league - like Cheltenham who just bullied Tranmere into submission yesterday.

The problem now is that we are too predictable. We kick it back and fore in defense, then we go up the wings, every time. 
The only player that makes progress is Baptiste, when he decides to charge up the centre of the park. Even then, everybody is still clinging to the sides of the pitch, so it goes sideways or backwards. Why don't we play Elbouzedi more. he's fast, and inventive. Even Dapo seems to have lost the initiative, since trying to become both winger and striker, and has resorted to joining in with the sideways and pass-back game.

With Cheltenham and Cambridge pulling clear of us as a result of this draw, it currently looks like 5 teams scrapping for one final automatic spot and given our run in I’m not sure we can afford to drop any more points.