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The fans lived up to their side of the bargain – but on another desperately frustrating night for Wanderers, the team was found wanting.
Millwall coasted to their first win on Bolton turf since 1973 thanks to goals from Tom Elliott and Ben Marshall and must have been amazed at the ease with which they took three points back down to London.
But for a 15-minute blast in the first half, containing a number of good chances, Phil Parkinson’s side looked nothing other than the proverbial rabbit in headlights.
Wanderers had made a call to arms before kick off, pleading with supporters to stick with them even if mistakes were made. And for more than an hour that is exactly what they did.
It was unfathomable, however, that they failed to appear for the second half in a game of such magnitude.
No one should escape blame on a night which reinforced what we all knew deep down: Wanderers are in deep, deep trouble.
Responding to a deeply dissatisfying performance at Derby, Parkinson made six changes to his line-up, dropping Mark Little, Jem Karacan, Antonee Robinson, Reece Burke, Josh Vela and Aaron Wilbraham and bringing in Andy Taylor, Jon Flanagan, Sammy Ameobi, Craig Noone, Derik and Darren Pratley.
Parkinson had challenged his side to get on the front foot and be braver on the ball than they had been in recent weeks – and, in fairness, they showed plenty of attacking intent early on.
It nearly got off to a terrible start after Elliott hooked a ball over the top for Jed Wallace, who squared a pass for Lee Gregory not 10 yards from goal, only for the striker to trip up at the crucial moment.
Things improved and for about 15 minutes of full-on football Wanderers manufactured a few excellent chances to take the lead.
Noone was at the centre of an almighty scramble in the six-yard box after a dangerous cross from Ameobi on the left, and moments later the same player cracked a shot from the edge of the box which bounced off Jake Cooper and inches wide of the post.
The biggest chance, however, fell to the one man you’d want. Adam Le Fondre was just as busy as his opposite number Lee Gregory, continually hassling the Millwall back line, but when he found himself through on goal midway through the half he uncharacteristically took too many touches, allowing Cooper to slide in with a timely challenge.
Pratley also had a dipping volley saved by Jordan Archer, who then nearly spilled the ball into Le Fondre’s path.
Millwall always looked a threat on the break and as the half wore on, Wanderers’ defending became less and less convincing. The soft centre they have developed in recent weeks remained hidden until 34 minutes when Marshall’s cross from the left was headed in with the minimum of effort by Elliott.
Any impetus which had been built up then disappeared. The remaining 10 minutes was played at a comfortable pace for the visitors and a degree of frustration started to creep into the crowd, which had not been there before.
Wanderers needed to step up the tempo in the second half but after waiting for an eternity for the Lions to emerge, they allowed Elliott another free header which thankfully drifted wide.
Someone needed to take the game by the scruff of the neck – and on the hour Parkinson looked to change things from the bench.
Zach Clough and Fil Morais came on for Noone and Derik. It was, on the face of it, an attacking change. But within two minutes of their arrival, Wanderers found themselves two goals down.
Quite incredibly, Millwall’s second came from a Bolton attacking free kick. Morais’s cross to the back post almost fell for Clough but as he stepped off his marker, Mahlon Romeo, he gave the full-back a yard start in a length-of-the-field sprint, his cut back eventually being slammed into the net with aplomb by Marshall.
Barring the delirious 500 Londoners high in the South Stand, a stunned silence spread around the Macron.
Parkinson had no out-and-out strikers on his bench despite having pulled Connor Hall from the Under-23s’ trip to Charlton, and one wonders if he regretted not having that luxury as the game drew towards an unsatisfactory close.
Vela’s arrival for Pratley was greeted by a murmurs of disquiet around the ground, if only because it reinforced the lack of attacking intent which had been shown in the second half.
As the final five minutes ticked over, the only sound in an echoing stadium was the sounds of seats closing and a steady stream of fans filing out into the night. And who could really blame those leaving early? Their team did.
The only positive Wanderers can perhaps grasp from the night is that results elsewhere were not catastrophic. The two-point gap on Barnsley is still there for now – but with another performance like this, it won’t be for much longer.
PLAYER RATINGS
WANDERERS (4-2-3-1)
BEN ALNWICK…5
JON FLANAGAN…4
DAVID WHEATER…5.5
MARK BEEVERS…4
ANDREW TAYLOR…4
DERIK OSEDE…4
KARL HENRY…5
CRAIG NOONE…5
DARREN PRATLEY…5
SAMMY AMEOBI…6
ADAM LE FONDRE…6.5
Subs: Clough 4, 61 (for Derik), Morais 4, 61 (for Noone), Vela 76 (for Pratley).
Not used: Howard, Buckley, Robinson, Burke.
Millwall (4-4-2): Archer; Romeo, Hutchinson, Cooper, Meredith; Wallace, Williams, Saville, Marshall; Gregory, Elliott.
Subs: Morison 77 (for Elliott), Cahill 87 (for Williams), Onyedinma 89 (for Marshall).
Not used: Martin, Tunnicliffe, O’Brien, Shackell.
Referee: Robert Jones 6/10.
Attendance: 13,810 (526).
Source
Millwall coasted to their first win on Bolton turf since 1973 thanks to goals from Tom Elliott and Ben Marshall and must have been amazed at the ease with which they took three points back down to London.
But for a 15-minute blast in the first half, containing a number of good chances, Phil Parkinson’s side looked nothing other than the proverbial rabbit in headlights.
Wanderers had made a call to arms before kick off, pleading with supporters to stick with them even if mistakes were made. And for more than an hour that is exactly what they did.
It was unfathomable, however, that they failed to appear for the second half in a game of such magnitude.
No one should escape blame on a night which reinforced what we all knew deep down: Wanderers are in deep, deep trouble.
Responding to a deeply dissatisfying performance at Derby, Parkinson made six changes to his line-up, dropping Mark Little, Jem Karacan, Antonee Robinson, Reece Burke, Josh Vela and Aaron Wilbraham and bringing in Andy Taylor, Jon Flanagan, Sammy Ameobi, Craig Noone, Derik and Darren Pratley.
Parkinson had challenged his side to get on the front foot and be braver on the ball than they had been in recent weeks – and, in fairness, they showed plenty of attacking intent early on.
It nearly got off to a terrible start after Elliott hooked a ball over the top for Jed Wallace, who squared a pass for Lee Gregory not 10 yards from goal, only for the striker to trip up at the crucial moment.
Things improved and for about 15 minutes of full-on football Wanderers manufactured a few excellent chances to take the lead.
Noone was at the centre of an almighty scramble in the six-yard box after a dangerous cross from Ameobi on the left, and moments later the same player cracked a shot from the edge of the box which bounced off Jake Cooper and inches wide of the post.
The biggest chance, however, fell to the one man you’d want. Adam Le Fondre was just as busy as his opposite number Lee Gregory, continually hassling the Millwall back line, but when he found himself through on goal midway through the half he uncharacteristically took too many touches, allowing Cooper to slide in with a timely challenge.
Pratley also had a dipping volley saved by Jordan Archer, who then nearly spilled the ball into Le Fondre’s path.
Millwall always looked a threat on the break and as the half wore on, Wanderers’ defending became less and less convincing. The soft centre they have developed in recent weeks remained hidden until 34 minutes when Marshall’s cross from the left was headed in with the minimum of effort by Elliott.
Any impetus which had been built up then disappeared. The remaining 10 minutes was played at a comfortable pace for the visitors and a degree of frustration started to creep into the crowd, which had not been there before.
Wanderers needed to step up the tempo in the second half but after waiting for an eternity for the Lions to emerge, they allowed Elliott another free header which thankfully drifted wide.
Someone needed to take the game by the scruff of the neck – and on the hour Parkinson looked to change things from the bench.
Zach Clough and Fil Morais came on for Noone and Derik. It was, on the face of it, an attacking change. But within two minutes of their arrival, Wanderers found themselves two goals down.
Quite incredibly, Millwall’s second came from a Bolton attacking free kick. Morais’s cross to the back post almost fell for Clough but as he stepped off his marker, Mahlon Romeo, he gave the full-back a yard start in a length-of-the-field sprint, his cut back eventually being slammed into the net with aplomb by Marshall.
Barring the delirious 500 Londoners high in the South Stand, a stunned silence spread around the Macron.
Parkinson had no out-and-out strikers on his bench despite having pulled Connor Hall from the Under-23s’ trip to Charlton, and one wonders if he regretted not having that luxury as the game drew towards an unsatisfactory close.
Vela’s arrival for Pratley was greeted by a murmurs of disquiet around the ground, if only because it reinforced the lack of attacking intent which had been shown in the second half.
As the final five minutes ticked over, the only sound in an echoing stadium was the sounds of seats closing and a steady stream of fans filing out into the night. And who could really blame those leaving early? Their team did.
The only positive Wanderers can perhaps grasp from the night is that results elsewhere were not catastrophic. The two-point gap on Barnsley is still there for now – but with another performance like this, it won’t be for much longer.
PLAYER RATINGS
WANDERERS (4-2-3-1)
BEN ALNWICK…5
JON FLANAGAN…4
DAVID WHEATER…5.5
MARK BEEVERS…4
ANDREW TAYLOR…4
DERIK OSEDE…4
KARL HENRY…5
CRAIG NOONE…5
DARREN PRATLEY…5
SAMMY AMEOBI…6
ADAM LE FONDRE…6.5
Subs: Clough 4, 61 (for Derik), Morais 4, 61 (for Noone), Vela 76 (for Pratley).
Not used: Howard, Buckley, Robinson, Burke.
Millwall (4-4-2): Archer; Romeo, Hutchinson, Cooper, Meredith; Wallace, Williams, Saville, Marshall; Gregory, Elliott.
Subs: Morison 77 (for Elliott), Cahill 87 (for Williams), Onyedinma 89 (for Marshall).
Not used: Martin, Tunnicliffe, O’Brien, Shackell.
Referee: Robert Jones 6/10.
Attendance: 13,810 (526).
Source