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ANOTHER draw snatched from the jaws of victory, Wanderers must hope these dropped points do not come back to bite them in the backside come the day of reckoning.
Ipswich joined a lengthy list, including Reading, Sunderland, Fulham and QPR, of teams who snuck through the back door to steal a share of the spoils when a win seemed there for the Whites’ taking.
Take away the last 12 minutes in each of those games and Phil Parkinson’s side would be 10 points better off, nestled comfortably in mid-table.
Above all others, this felt like three points in the bag. After an instantly forgettable first half Wanderers had raised their game, seizing the advantage when Gary Madine cleverly turned in Antonee Robinson’s left-wing cross.
There were half-chances to extend the lead too as Parkinson’s side pressed high up the pitch and looked hungry to score a second. Ipswich looked utterly devoid of inspiration until David McGoldrick and Martyn Waghorn sliced through with some clever football on the edge of the area, leaving Joe Garner a tap in for the equaliser on 82 minutes.
It was then as if a light switch had been flicked, Wanderers reverting to nervous type and willing the final whistle to sound. Ipswich nearly completed the smash and grab with Waghorn shaking the post with a brilliant shot.
Victory would put the Whites as far from the relegation zone as they have been all season. Instead, the point lifts them a place above Hull City into 20th put still perilously placed.
Parkinson admitted his side had shown signs of fatigue in the latter stages against Ipswich, which may have stemmed from his decision to recall Karl Henry to the midfield after just two training sessions this week and Dorian Dervite to the back four for his first league start since August.
In fairness, neither man disappointed over the 90 minutes. Henry added an air of calm in possession while Dervite produced one of those performances which makes you wonder why he doesn’t feature more often. Only the Frenchman’s central defensive partner David Wheater had anything like his claim for Wanderers’ man of the match.
Mick McCarthy rarely minces his words, describing the first half as “one of the worst I have seen for a very, very long time.” And he was entirely right.
The pre-match talk had fixed on Bersant Celina, the Manchester City loanee who snubbed Bolton in favour of Ipswich in the summer. The Kosovan had been in electric form of late but here, he failed to flicker at all.
The only chance of note actually happened 20 seconds after kick-off, Josh Vela bursting on to Madine’s knock down on the edge of the box but failing to get a proper shot away in front of Bartosz Bialkowski.
A few moments later Sammy Ameobi was poleaxed by Callum Connolly, with Wanderers’ bench alleging the use of an elbow. Ref Peter Bankes did not have a good view and, evidently, neither did the fourth official or assistant referees.
After watching two sides cancel each other out for 45 minutes, there was a weariness about the home support as they trudged back out of the concourses to their seats. Thankfully, within seven minutes Madine had given them something to get the pulses racing.
Robinson’s cross from the left was flicked by Vela and stabbed into the back of the net by a predatory Madine, who had left his marker Jonas Knudsen scratching his head.
No Bolton striker since Nicolas Anelka has scored 10 goals in successive seasons, and yet that is the situation the 27-year-old is in right now.
Only a dozen players are in double figures in the Championship right now – and that list does not include quality like Jordan Hugil at Preston, Keiran Dowell at Nottingham Forest or Madine’s old mate Billy Sharp at Sheffield United. If Wanderers could add someone before the close of the window to bring even more out of the Sheffield Wednesday man, who knows what he could achieve in the remaining 18 games?
He could have had more – one header hitting the side netting and a curling free-kick bringing a good save out of Bialkowski.
Fil Morais came off the bench to squeeze a low shot narrowly wide after he was picked out on the edge of the box by Ameobi. At that stage, it was difficult to see anything other than a Bolton win.
Game management has become one of those annoying football buzz-words but it is hard to describe what Wanderers lacked in the final 10 minutes in any other fashion.
Parkinson had clearly settled on an ‘if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it’ approach and had two substitutions in the bank when Ipswich brought themselves level.
McGoldrick and Waghorn’s deft one-two was like a delicate crocus in an overgrown swamp of stinging nettles, but it was enough to open up Bolton, and allow Garner to slide in ahead of Robinson to score.
Had Waghorn added a second it would have been too much. Wanderers deserved something from the game and the thought of mulling over such a collapse for nearly a fortnight does not bear thinking about.
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/wanderers/15886610.MATCH_VERDICT__Bolton_Wanderers_1_Ipswich_Town_1/
Ipswich joined a lengthy list, including Reading, Sunderland, Fulham and QPR, of teams who snuck through the back door to steal a share of the spoils when a win seemed there for the Whites’ taking.
Take away the last 12 minutes in each of those games and Phil Parkinson’s side would be 10 points better off, nestled comfortably in mid-table.
Above all others, this felt like three points in the bag. After an instantly forgettable first half Wanderers had raised their game, seizing the advantage when Gary Madine cleverly turned in Antonee Robinson’s left-wing cross.
There were half-chances to extend the lead too as Parkinson’s side pressed high up the pitch and looked hungry to score a second. Ipswich looked utterly devoid of inspiration until David McGoldrick and Martyn Waghorn sliced through with some clever football on the edge of the area, leaving Joe Garner a tap in for the equaliser on 82 minutes.
It was then as if a light switch had been flicked, Wanderers reverting to nervous type and willing the final whistle to sound. Ipswich nearly completed the smash and grab with Waghorn shaking the post with a brilliant shot.
Victory would put the Whites as far from the relegation zone as they have been all season. Instead, the point lifts them a place above Hull City into 20th put still perilously placed.
Parkinson admitted his side had shown signs of fatigue in the latter stages against Ipswich, which may have stemmed from his decision to recall Karl Henry to the midfield after just two training sessions this week and Dorian Dervite to the back four for his first league start since August.
In fairness, neither man disappointed over the 90 minutes. Henry added an air of calm in possession while Dervite produced one of those performances which makes you wonder why he doesn’t feature more often. Only the Frenchman’s central defensive partner David Wheater had anything like his claim for Wanderers’ man of the match.
Mick McCarthy rarely minces his words, describing the first half as “one of the worst I have seen for a very, very long time.” And he was entirely right.
The pre-match talk had fixed on Bersant Celina, the Manchester City loanee who snubbed Bolton in favour of Ipswich in the summer. The Kosovan had been in electric form of late but here, he failed to flicker at all.
The only chance of note actually happened 20 seconds after kick-off, Josh Vela bursting on to Madine’s knock down on the edge of the box but failing to get a proper shot away in front of Bartosz Bialkowski.
A few moments later Sammy Ameobi was poleaxed by Callum Connolly, with Wanderers’ bench alleging the use of an elbow. Ref Peter Bankes did not have a good view and, evidently, neither did the fourth official or assistant referees.
After watching two sides cancel each other out for 45 minutes, there was a weariness about the home support as they trudged back out of the concourses to their seats. Thankfully, within seven minutes Madine had given them something to get the pulses racing.
Robinson’s cross from the left was flicked by Vela and stabbed into the back of the net by a predatory Madine, who had left his marker Jonas Knudsen scratching his head.
No Bolton striker since Nicolas Anelka has scored 10 goals in successive seasons, and yet that is the situation the 27-year-old is in right now.
Only a dozen players are in double figures in the Championship right now – and that list does not include quality like Jordan Hugil at Preston, Keiran Dowell at Nottingham Forest or Madine’s old mate Billy Sharp at Sheffield United. If Wanderers could add someone before the close of the window to bring even more out of the Sheffield Wednesday man, who knows what he could achieve in the remaining 18 games?
He could have had more – one header hitting the side netting and a curling free-kick bringing a good save out of Bialkowski.
Fil Morais came off the bench to squeeze a low shot narrowly wide after he was picked out on the edge of the box by Ameobi. At that stage, it was difficult to see anything other than a Bolton win.
Game management has become one of those annoying football buzz-words but it is hard to describe what Wanderers lacked in the final 10 minutes in any other fashion.
Parkinson had clearly settled on an ‘if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it’ approach and had two substitutions in the bank when Ipswich brought themselves level.
McGoldrick and Waghorn’s deft one-two was like a delicate crocus in an overgrown swamp of stinging nettles, but it was enough to open up Bolton, and allow Garner to slide in ahead of Robinson to score.
Had Waghorn added a second it would have been too much. Wanderers deserved something from the game and the thought of mulling over such a collapse for nearly a fortnight does not bear thinking about.
http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/wanderers/15886610.MATCH_VERDICT__Bolton_Wanderers_1_Ipswich_Town_1/