Bolton 2-2 Shrewsbury

Things are starting to feel a bit better at our beloved club with our last 3 league wins on the bounce due to changes on and off the pitch which has been well needed.

We are playing against Shrewsbury Town and a win could potentially see us rise further up the league to 4th position.

Shrewsbury are all the way down the league in 23rd place with only one win in their last 5 games along with a draw which was at home to Rotherham.

Shrewsbury's last game was at home and was a 2 nil loss against Stockport County who are currently 5th in the league table.

Can we go on to make it a 4th consecutive league win?

Whilst it is still early days, are you starting to have more faith in Ian Evatt?

We should win this easily and as long as Evatt keeps the same formation and style of play then i can't see us not winning.

Only question is who does he play upfront? We have 4 strikers and Evatt seems to be rotating them. It is tricky as McAtee and Collins look a good partnership but we also have Dion and to a lesser extent Adeboyejo. He has tried to play the 3 upfront and it didn't work so he's got to keep them all happy somehow.

Hard not to be confident at the moment with the way we’re playing. It’s fantastic to have so many good forwards to choose from and we’ve still got CMG and Klaidi Lolos to come in over the next few weeks and I don’t think any other club, including Birmingham can boast that much firepower. Salop are really struggling so barring any Carlisle like cock ups I can only see another very comfortable win and a chance to make up for those two silly goals late on at Northampton and boost the goal difference. I think Evatt’s got a real problem choosing who starts now but at least if it’s not working he has the ammunition to change it. I forecast a big win for Wanderers.

Bolton Wanderers v Shrewsbury Town - The Big Match Preview

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Whichever combination of Wanderers’ striker ‘pack’ are sent into battle against Shrewsbury Town, they might just fancy their chances.

Be it Dion Charles and Victor Adeboyejo, John McAtee and Aaron Collins, or a combination of all four, confidence is brimming in the Bolton’s forward ranks.

With the second-bottom side in town, Charles may be in a better mood than most. The Northern Ireland international has a solid goal record against the Shrews, scoring four times in six appearances against them in a Bolton shirt.

Goalkeepers famously have their own ‘union’ and Ian Evatt has called on his forward players to form their own collective in an effort to keep standards high. Whether he gets his wish, or whether egos are bruised as time progresses remains to be seen, but for now at least he seems to be getting something out of each of his four main options.

No team in League One can top the four goals which have come from Bolton’s substitutes so far, suggesting that even those players who do not start on Saturday are still well capable of making an impact.

Charles has six goals in all competitions and is now looking back to something like top form and fitness after the knee issues he suffered at the start of the year.

McAtee has also scored in his last two games, regaining some of his swagger after playing catch-up for the first few weeks having been left on the shelf at Luton Town over the summer.

Adeboyejo and Collins are also off the mark, both adding something different to an attack which looks as strong as anything Evatt has had in his four years in charge.

That also gives the Whites boss a headache that he has rarely had to manage since the turn of the year.

“It is the reason we brought these guys in, we felt they were four different types of player. At the moment we seem to have found partnerships, but I do think that they can all play alongside each other, I genuinely do.

“And as I have said to you guys and I have said to them, this isn’t about individuals, it is about a team. They are a mini-team within the main team and they have to support each other and strive to push each other on.”

Life has not been easy for Paul Hurst since his side limped over the line to secure League One survival last season, which included a battling draw against Bolton in April.

The 50-year-old ended his first spell with the Shrews after losing a play-off final against Rotherham United in 2018, after which he left to join Ipswich Town for what proved an ill-fated five-month term.

He returned in January this year but has thus far won just five of his 30 games in charge, the Shropshire men currently second bottom of the table with four points from nine games.

But as Evatt will point out only too readily, changing the mood theoretically only takes 90 minutes.

“You are only one result away from it turning, and we have felt that at Bolton,” he said. “It could happen in any game at any time.

“We drew the game here at the end of last season when we needed to win to keep up our hoes of going up automatically, but they made it difficult for us and I expect them to do the same on Saturday.

“It is going to be great playing back at home again after three games in six days against different types of opponents. The Crawley and Northampton games are ones that in the past we have struggled with at times but it was great to put some points on the board and Arsenal was just a great learning curve.

“I felt like post-Huddersfield and in the week leading up to the Reading game that everyone managed to reset and the players I’d say are brimming with confidence again, which is good to see.”

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Absolute shite so far!

I am at the game. We're doing a lot wrong BUT for the first time in a long while I'm seeing genuine fight and a team playing like a team. I have to give Evatt credit because we all know how often going behind makes us collapse while today I'm seeing the complete opposite. For the first time in ages it looks like the game really matters to ALL the players.

Now 2-2 guys!

Wanderers assistant manager Pete Atherton has given his view on Ian Evatt’s red card after the final whistle in today’s 2-2 home draw with Shrewsbury Town.

The Bolton boss was handed a straight red by referee Declan Bourne after a face-to-face altercation with visiting defender Morgan Feeney.

Evatt had been asking the official why more time was not added on to the eight minutes shown by the fourth official, with stoppage time itself also containing a delay in play.

Atherton spoke to the local press as EFL rules prevent a manager from doing so if they have been sent-off.

He said: “The gaffer went over to the ref and asked why there wasn’t time added on to the time added, if you will. They talked about that and one of their players has started to get involved, they had words, the ref gave the gaffer a red and their player a yellow, so I am not quite sure why there is a red for one and a yellow for the other. It was nothing that he said to the referee.”

Asked if there was contact with Feeney, Atherton added: “I obviously can’t comment on that because I haven’t seen that footage.”

Wanderers found themselves two down at half time, poor defending allowing Jordan Feeney and Jordan Shipley to give the second-bottom Shrews an unexpected lead.

Kyle Dempsey and Szabi Schon got Bolton level by 61 minutes but they were unable to find a third goal, which would have given them a fourth straight win in the league.

Atherton said: “It was a game of two halves, unfortunately first half we didn’t get the levels we expected off the back of the two good away wins we’d had in the league. We expected to be stronger and to start on the front foot.

“Shrewsbury in their position, we knew they were going to be scrapping and fighting. We didn’t just give them one leg up, we gave them two. We were disappointed with the second one because we’d spoken about that and we’d conceded a similar one last time. We’d put it in the players’ minds but unfortunately they didn’t recognise it quickly enough and deal with it.

“Going in 2-0 at half time was very disappointing but, that said, we got the early goal we needed after half time, got the second, and I’m a bit disappointed because we had 30 minutes to go and get a winner. We huffed and puffed, had a few chances, keeper made a few good saves, but we couldn’t find the winner.”

Wanderers were markedly better after half time, which was the only encouraging thing Atherton believes could be taken from the afternoon.

“That was a positive in terms of taking the game to them and continuing the momentum but then you need that little bit of quality and intelligent play to get the final finish and the winner.

“It is never dull at Bolton, especially on the bench, but it is definitely two points dropped, particularly after the good results we have had.”

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Two points dropped at home. With the second half performance I thought we just about deserved three. 
The football gods are going to make it difficult for us this season. This should have been an easy three. 
No shortage of effort but some of our lads are missing a little quality - putting it nicely.
Anyway COYWM

Missed their first goal and their second was a very good hit. 

After that we dominated pretty much. If we do that against most teams though we lose. 

We definitely looked better with Vic on today than Collins. Shon was brilliant second half.

Evatt's sending off and the goals

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Paul Hurst reckons his Shrewsbury side were on the wrong end of a mistake by the officials for Kyle Dempsey’s goal.

Dempsey received the ball from Dion Charles and showed clever feet to get past his man before firing past Toby Savin.

Hurst felt the goal should have been chalked off and says Wanderers gained “momentum” from that moment, although he refused to blame it solely for the result as the points were eventually shared.

“The first goal is offside, I can’t influence that decision or blame the lads for it,” he said after the final whistle.

“Dempsey is the wrong side of Jordan Rossiter, I thought it at the time and have looked back, it is.

“We are relying on officials there. Who knows? That might not have changed anything, they might have scored five!

“But in terms of the start and momentum, that helps them dramatically. That is hard to do anything about and after that, they get a lot of momentum and have so much play.

“They get the equaliser and you are probably stood there thinking, ‘Are we at least going to get a point here?’

“Thanks to a good save from Toby, some really good defending, bodies on the line and hard work, we managed to see the game out.”

The Shropshire club had lost seven of their previous nine league games, and Hurst hailed his side’s efforts against a side he expects to be “right up there”.

“I think we all would have taken a point before the game, and that is not being negative,” the manager added.

“I have said before, I think Birmingham are almost on a different level because of their financial backing and then I feel that Bolton are right up there.

“They went very close last year and the goals they have been scoring, 11 in their last three, we knew it was going to be tough. The lads took on board set plays well and got the two goals to get in front.”

Jordan Shipley’s superb strike from the edge of the box was similar to his goal at the Toughsheet Community Stadium last season.

“Ships’ one is obviously from last season and something we spoke about, similar to last year,” Hurst explained. “They were shouting about it but we just felt it would probably be on. It is a great touch and strike.”

Morgan Feeney was booked after the final whistle following a confrontation with Ian Evatt, which saw the Bolton boss sent off.

When asked about the incident, Hurst replied: “I think Ian was frustrated in terms of the added time.

"When I saw eight – I am not saying whether it was eight or not, I couldn’t honestly tell you. But it makes you smile because I have been on the other side of that where you think there should be a lot and it is five.

"I think he was frustrated because there had been one stoppage and the thought was that (referee Declan Bourne) had blown up on eight minutes exactly."

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Charity Wanderers at it again.  Good comeback though.

I didn't get to watch the game yesterday but after watching the highlights to see what Evatt's red card was all about, I find it really bad with the manager who is supposed to be the one the players look up to and with him being the leader extremely bang out of order in my opinion and he should have kept his cool no matter what.

I have absolutely no idea what the verbal exchange was with him and the player but for one Evatt is much older than him and he has also done it right under the referee's nose!

Absolutely disgraceful behaviour from a manager. I don't care if it's in the heat of the moment or passion or whatever people want to call it.

Now we have the red card to contend with as Evatt could be off the sideline and in the stand for upto 6 games.

Evatt looks like a man under severe pressure. The moment he strode onto the pitch at the end, I knew a red was coming.

Fwiw I don't think having a manager (particularly this one) makes much difference in being sat in the stands.

The team plays to a system that is 'perfected' on the training pitch and as far as I can see is seldom if ever changed on the pitch during the 90 minutes - you can almost even predict the time and names of the substitution rotations - so nothing much varies if Evatt is in the dugout or in the stands.

I'm not sure if a manager can still give team talks before kick off and at halftime whilst serving a ban but again we seldom take the pitch on the front foot or having made significant tactical changes following the break.

On top of all that I would imagine managers in the stands are 'wired up' to their number two through the match anyway.

And wasn't it a thing some years ago when the likes of Fergusson used to sit in the stands through choice during the games because they could see better how the game was being played than down at pitch level?

And finally an 'I told you so' from me...

Sluffy wrote:And one further thing I would do if I could and that would be to keep Evatt away from the press.

He doesn't help himself by saying we are the best team in the division - like he did last season - and his 'tears' after Oxford and now Huddersfield has unsettled the whole of the Bolton fan base - "I don't know what to do"!!!

Fuck me!

We need someone with a cool head answering questions after defeats and someone who isn't a big head when we are winning.  

Just be humble in victory and gracious in defeat - it's really not hard to do.

Hard to think of a manager or assistants whose touchline behaviour sets a good example these days....

The antics of Pep, Arteta, Klopp, etc provide a terrible example which sparks trouble on the pitch and on the terraces. Mind you, Mourinho had a lot to answer for!

If you ever go down to watch your children play, you will see parents on the touchline behaving like a bunch of neanderthals too.