Doncaster 2-1 Bolton

It’s another away day for Wanderers who head to the Keepmoat Stadium this Tuesday evening to take on Darren Moore’s Doncaster Rovers in Sky Bet League One.

Doncaster are currently 8th in the table and are just three points outside of the play-off places. The sixth spot at the moment is occupied by Phil Parkinson’s Sunderland, but Rovers will be hoping to reach the play-offs as they did last season.

Rovers’ form has been a little indifferent in the last three or four weeks and they come into this evening’s game on the back of a 1-1 home draw with Rochdale last weekend. Prior to that they were comfortable winners at Tranmere Rovers, but beaten by Fleetwood Town before that.

Team News

In his pre-match press conference with bwfc.co.uk, Wanderers manager Keith Hill explained that Aristote Nsiala is a doubt for the trip to Doncaster after the Ipswich loanee defender had to be replaced in the weekend’s defeat to Coventry City, due to a head injury.

Ronan Darcy is currently side-lined with injury and will miss out on the trip to the Keepmoat Stadium.

Head to Head

Historically, Wanderers have only faced Doncaster on just eleven occasions with seven of those resulting in victory. Rovers have won on three occasions with a solitary draw.

The last meeting between the two sides was back in April 2014 at the Keepmoat Stadium. Wanderers were quick out of the traps and raced into a two goal lead through Neil Danns and Joe Mason, but a superb David Cotterill free-kick halved the deficit with the game finishing 2-1 to Bolton.

The only previous trip to the Keepmoat Stadium prior to that game was for an FA Cup tie back in January 2007 as Wanderers ran riot with a 4-0 victory coming courtesy of goals from Kevin Davies, Andranik Teymourian (2) and Idan Tal.

Match Coverage

As usual, match updates will be provided by the club’s official twitter account (@OfficialBWFC). We will keep you up to date with the action to ensure you don’t miss a kick – delivering a match report shortly after the final whistle with post-match reaction from manager, Keith Hill.

Live commentary will also be available by the iFollow BWFC channel (subscribe via the website), with the BBC Radio Manchester team providing the coverage.

Betting Odds

Doncaster come into the game as favourites at the time of writing according to Sky Bet, and are being priced at 4/9 to win the game.

Wanderers are regarded as underdogs and are priced at 11/2 to win the game, with a draw being priced at 10/3.

Man in the Middle

Tonight’s match will be officiated by Christopher Sarginson. He will be assisted by Gareth Viccars and Richard Woodward with Joe Simpson appointed as the fourth official.

Sarginson has officiated 25 matches this season, with the most recent being Portsmouth’s 2-0 home victory against Sunderland at the beginning of the month.

So far this campaign he has handed out 65 yellow cards (2.6 per game) and one red card (0.04 per game).

Currently in his thirteenth season as a referee, Sarginson has never refereed a competitive Wanderers fixture.

Key man for Rovers – Kieran Sadlier

Capped by the Republic of Ireland at Under-21s level, Sadlier has made quite an impression since his move to South Yorkshire in January of last year and in 54 appearances for the club, he has scored 14 goals playing in an advanced midfield role.

A West Ham United academy graduate, Sadlier got his career started in Scotland with St. Mirren before a move to Peterborough United in July 2015. Making just one appearances for the Posh, he spent time on loan at FC Halifax Town before a move to Ireland to sign for Sligo Rovers.

Succeeding with Rovers and his next employers, Cork City, he opted for a return to England in January 2019 and has become a key member of the team.  

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karlypants wrote:Radio Nuts is now live!

how come no ifollow anymore?

markyyellow wrote:

karlypants wrote:Radio Nuts is now live!

how come no ifollow anymore?

Video streams are not always possible.

Another loss...

What we saw tonight was a grand old display of hoofball - a master class of it.
Midfield totally bypassed - unable to string two passes together.
A few days ago Keith was banging on about keeping more possession.....hoofing it is not the way to do it.
Where has the football gone to that was on show at the beginning of the season with all the kids.

Listened to most of the game on radio nuts and again we concede easy goals and had little goal threat ourselves.

KH doesn't help himself though does he? Started listening to his interview after the game and he goes on about being proud of his players and i had to turn it off. The midfield is poor and can't string 2 or 3 passes together.

Roll on next season and hopefully better times.

Norpig wrote:Listened to most of the game on radio nuts and again we concede easy goals and had little goal threat ourselves.

KH doesn't help himself though does he? Started listening to his interview after the game and he goes on about being proud of his players and i had to turn it off. The midfield is poor and can't string 2 or 3 passes together.

Roll on next season and hopefully better times.

I know the score. I'm 66.

Report: Doncaster Rovers vs. Bolton Wanderers

Goals either side of half time from Fejiri Okenabirhie and Niall Ennis gave hosts Doncaster Rovers a narrow victory at the Keepmoat Stadium.

Joe Dodoo’s second half effort gave Wanderers hope of salvaging a point after Rovers two-goal lead was halved.

Manager Keith Hill made two changes from the side that narrowly to Coventry City at the weekend with Jack Hobbs and Joe Dodoo replacing Toto Nsiala and Dennis Politic.

Hobbs was pressed into action early on when he got in the way of a James Coppinger strike to prevent the ball from testing Remi Matthews.

Matthews then showed some alert goalkeeping when he held on to Ben Whiteman’s half volley which went through a sea of bodies.

At the other end, after some good link up play by Chris O’Grady, Brandon Fleming saw his cross-shot go narrowly over the bar.

Joe Dodoo got the better of Reece James down the right hand side to get in the box but his low pull back was scrambled away by Ben Sheaf.

The hosts had another chance when Kieran Sadlier created some space over on the right to put in a centre for Fejiri Okenabirhie, but his header was held onto firmly by Matthews who was well placed.

Wanderers then had a chance of their own almost immediately but Ethan Hamilton’s well struck volley from the edge of the box was blocked by Sheaf after Fleming’s corner fell to the on-loan midfielder.

Sadlier saw a curling shot go over the bar after he cut in on the right hand side to create the chance.

Wanderers enjoyed their best chance of the evening when Hamilton got on the end of Dodoo’s chipped cross after Murphy sold the Doncaster defenders a dummy, but the Scotsman’s low effort went agonisingly wide.

O’Grady then went close moments later when his curling shot was held on to by Seny Dieng. Wanderers by now had the bit between their teeth.

Rovers responded with an effort of their own but Okenabirhie’s went narrowly wide with a deflected shot after Sadlier had teed him up. Coppinger’s resulting corner was headed over the bar by Sheaf.

Okenabirhie put the hosts in front five minutes before the break after he slid the ball underneath the onrushing Matthews after being put in by a smart pass off Sadlier.

The Rovers man almost doubled his tally and his side’s lead deep into first half injury time when he turned his shot narrowly wide of Matthews’ right hand post.

Wanderers had a chance to equalise not long after the restart when Kean Bryan picked up a pass off O’Grady before seeing his effort kept out by Dieng.

But the hosts extended their lead through Ennis moments later when he crept in at the far post to head home a smart cross from Coppinger.

The visitors tried to get back into the contest and Fleming was unlucky with his thumping strike from the edge of the box going over the bar after being located by Dodoo’s low centre.

Matthews was on hand to pull off a brilliant stop to deny Okenabirhie after Hobbs’ attempted back pass was intercepted by the Rovers frontman.

Rovers were looking for a third and Coppinger tried his luck from distance but his shot went a yard or so over the bar.

Wanderers got themselves back into the game just before the hour mark when Dodoo took advantage of a Dieng effort to roll the ball into an empty net.

Wanderers were forced into making a change shortly after the goal when Jacob Mellis came on for Hobbs.

Bryan then got in the way to superbly stifle a chance for Okenabirhie after the strike looked to latch on to a loose ball in the danger area.

A whipped in corner by Fleming was helped on its way into the box by O’Grady but the ball didn’t fall kindly for Daryl Murphy who was poised inside the six-yard box.

Hamilton tried his luck with an acrobatic volley from distance but his effort didn’t cause any trouble for Dieng who held onto the ball.

Matthews, at the other end, held on to Ben Whiteman’s strike after Coppinger found him with a squared pass.

Daryl Murphy had a great chance to equalise when he capitalised on an error from Tom Anderson and although the big Irishman powered his way into the box his shot was ultimately blocked by the Rovers defence.

With six minutes remaining, Hill made his second change of the night when he brought on Ryan Delaney for Bryan.

Luke Murphy’s attempt from distance as the game was heading for full time went over the bar with Wanderers pressing for an equaliser.

But that goal never came and Wanderers were left to curse their luck as they bowed out to a successive narrow defeat.

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A few of us on chatbox were wondering why Faal wasn't being given a go. Now we know.


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If he's not ready for 1st team and we have no one else then why send Hall out on loan?

boltonbonce wrote:A few of us on chatbox were wondering why Faal wasn't being given a go. Now we know.


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Sorry, we don't know at all, he's talking utter bollocks again.

Remember when we first signed him Hill said he had toyed with the idea of STARTING him and he did bring him on late in the match.

He also made a sub appearance a game or so later.

Now according to the same bloke who told us he was going to start him half a dozen games ago, that he's now "nowhere near ready"!!!???

Something odd is going on here, I can't make my mind up if Hill's been ousted from team control by Kenyon's Moneyball folk (if that is really happening at all even???) or if he's simply no idea what he's doing or talking about.

Probably both is the answer!

Faal isn't up to it or he'd been playing from the start.

Every year there's plenty of seventh tier strikers scoring loads of goals but very few (if any?) get signed by third tier clubs - on a free - and establish themselves as regulars.  There's a reason for that - because they must have been scouted by loads of other clubs (Brentford is virtually next door to where he played for instance and they do this Moneyball stuff) many times previously and non of them have fancied him - until we came along!

Hopefully he will find his feet in the fourth division next season.

He needs to start finding his feet now. Let him sink or swim.

He had no problem playing Buckley, who's about as much use as an inflatable dartboard.

He doesn't say why he is not ready - Not fit?, useless on the training ground?
Looks like another Marvin Sordell situation to me.
At 22 years old you should be approaching your peak years in football. The 10 year plan must call for us to have two strikers with a combined age of 200 for next season - I dunno