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They used to sing in these parts that it was just like watching Brazil – and all that 3,000 travelling Bolton fans were missing was the weather.
Ian Evatt’s side kicked off 2023 in Samba style with a swaggering victory in South Yorkshire which lifted the mood after two frustrating festive draws against Derby and Lincoln.
Dion Charles opened the scoring from the penalty spot – moments after Barnsley defender Mads Andersen was sent off for hauling him down in the box.
Jon Dadi Bodvarsson doubled the lead before half time but the best was yet to come – Kyle Dempsey finishing off a sumptuous passing move to score the third, each touch of an intricate move cheered with an ‘ole!’
The day had begun with a minute’s applause for football legend Pele, who reportedly passed on the chance to manage Wanderers back in the early 80s.
The man currently in the job had some big decisions to make as he looked for a result to kickstart the promotion push. Kieran Lee, Jack Iredale and Bodvarsson came back into he side that had been held by 10 men at Sincil Bank before the weekend.
And with the apathy of Lincoln in mind, Wanderers seemed determined to start on a positive note. Dempsey and Kieran Lee led the way, snapping into challenges with the type of devilment that left Barnsley’s midfielders looking like they had over-indulged with the New Year celebrations.
Wanderers were first to everything. They have taken criticism for some of the slow starts they had made this season but the tone and tempo at Oakwell was as perfect as you are likely to find.
Had their finishing been better, the game would have been wrapped up completely by the 15-minute mark.
Charles got the wrong side of Barnsley defender Liam Kitching for the first time about five minutes in, racing on to a clever ball from Lee. He steadied himself enough to get a shot away but could only hit the side netting.
A few minutes later he got an even better view of Brad Collins’ goal, Bodvarsson sliding a pass through the middle. This time Charles fired over the bar but not without being pulled off-balance by Andersen.
Evatt protested furiously on the touchline to the fourth official that his side should have had a penalty. And he didn’t have to wait long for an action replay.
After Andersen allowed a long ball from the back to bounce in front of him, Charles wriggled free again, leaving the Dane wrestling to regain the advantage. The Bolton striker went to ground and ref Seb Stocksbridge pointed to the spot.
Andersen’s defending had been scruffy rather than especially violent, so the red card might have been a little on the harsh side, not that Evatt and his side were about to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Charles rolled home his 11th goal of the season from the penalty spot and should have added another before half time, heading wastefully wide from Aaron Morley’s cross.
Had Wanderers learned their lesson from the Lincoln game, where they had played for half an hour against 10 men but allowed the pace of the game to slow to a crawl?
Barnsley had a few moments around the Bolton box. Will Aimson made one crucial intervention after a dangerous run from Devante Cole, James Trafford parried one powerful effort from Matty Wolfe and Herbie Kane drove a follow-up effort just wide.
But Bolton kept just enough forward momentum to make a second goal feel likely, and it arrived just before half time in rather farcical fashion.
Robbie Cundy sold his keeper Collins short with a back-pass and Bodvarsson, whose pressing had been just as sharp as his midfield all day, got his foot in the way of the clearance. For a couple of bizarre moments neither player knew where the ball had landed, then the Bolton striker, who had been spinning like a ballerina on a music box, suddenly found his bearings and was able to pass the ball into the empty net.
To their credit, Barnsley refused to lie down and accept their fate. Former Bolton academy graduate Luca Connell looked as eager as anyone, spurred on perhaps by the rough ride he was getting from the away end.
You could argue the young midfielder had made his bed in the previous two games in league and cup – and though his shooting was wayward, he has lost none of the tenacity which impressed Phil Parkinson back in the Championship days, convincing him to fast-track the Liverpudlian into the first team ranks.
Trafford made one smart stop at his near post from James Norwood, the Bolton defending at that point becoming a bit frantic. Part of the problem had been Jack Iredale’s withdrawal through injury, the Australian replaced by Gethin Jones since mid-December in a slightly unfamiliar left-sided role.
Aimson’s no-nonsense defending had been excellent all day, and while some of his interventions around the penalty box will never be described as graceful, they were most certainly effective when the home side looked for a spark in the second period.
Wanderers’ will had held firm, and with the minutes ticking down the energy was draining visibly in Barnsley’s efforts to get back into the contest.
Surely nothing could have been more dispiriting than the way Wanderers wrapped things up – a multi-pass move that was finished off brilliantly by Dempsey in front of the Bolton supporters.
The rest of the game descended into a virtual karaoke, the travelling supporters namechecking everyone from Eoin Toal to Kolo Toure.
It was the perfect start to the year. And if Bolton can keep this up, who knows what it might bring?
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
They used to sing in these parts that it was just like watching Brazil – and all that 3,000 travelling Bolton fans were missing was the weather.
Ian Evatt’s side kicked off 2023 in Samba style with a swaggering victory in South Yorkshire which lifted the mood after two frustrating festive draws against Derby and Lincoln.
Dion Charles opened the scoring from the penalty spot – moments after Barnsley defender Mads Andersen was sent off for hauling him down in the box.
Jon Dadi Bodvarsson doubled the lead before half time but the best was yet to come – Kyle Dempsey finishing off a sumptuous passing move to score the third, each touch of an intricate move cheered with an ‘ole!’
The day had begun with a minute’s applause for football legend Pele, who reportedly passed on the chance to manage Wanderers back in the early 80s.
The man currently in the job had some big decisions to make as he looked for a result to kickstart the promotion push. Kieran Lee, Jack Iredale and Bodvarsson came back into he side that had been held by 10 men at Sincil Bank before the weekend.
And with the apathy of Lincoln in mind, Wanderers seemed determined to start on a positive note. Dempsey and Kieran Lee led the way, snapping into challenges with the type of devilment that left Barnsley’s midfielders looking like they had over-indulged with the New Year celebrations.
Wanderers were first to everything. They have taken criticism for some of the slow starts they had made this season but the tone and tempo at Oakwell was as perfect as you are likely to find.
Had their finishing been better, the game would have been wrapped up completely by the 15-minute mark.
Charles got the wrong side of Barnsley defender Liam Kitching for the first time about five minutes in, racing on to a clever ball from Lee. He steadied himself enough to get a shot away but could only hit the side netting.
A few minutes later he got an even better view of Brad Collins’ goal, Bodvarsson sliding a pass through the middle. This time Charles fired over the bar but not without being pulled off-balance by Andersen.
Evatt protested furiously on the touchline to the fourth official that his side should have had a penalty. And he didn’t have to wait long for an action replay.
After Andersen allowed a long ball from the back to bounce in front of him, Charles wriggled free again, leaving the Dane wrestling to regain the advantage. The Bolton striker went to ground and ref Seb Stocksbridge pointed to the spot.
Andersen’s defending had been scruffy rather than especially violent, so the red card might have been a little on the harsh side, not that Evatt and his side were about to look a gift horse in the mouth.
Charles rolled home his 11th goal of the season from the penalty spot and should have added another before half time, heading wastefully wide from Aaron Morley’s cross.
Had Wanderers learned their lesson from the Lincoln game, where they had played for half an hour against 10 men but allowed the pace of the game to slow to a crawl?
Barnsley had a few moments around the Bolton box. Will Aimson made one crucial intervention after a dangerous run from Devante Cole, James Trafford parried one powerful effort from Matty Wolfe and Herbie Kane drove a follow-up effort just wide.
But Bolton kept just enough forward momentum to make a second goal feel likely, and it arrived just before half time in rather farcical fashion.
Robbie Cundy sold his keeper Collins short with a back-pass and Bodvarsson, whose pressing had been just as sharp as his midfield all day, got his foot in the way of the clearance. For a couple of bizarre moments neither player knew where the ball had landed, then the Bolton striker, who had been spinning like a ballerina on a music box, suddenly found his bearings and was able to pass the ball into the empty net.
To their credit, Barnsley refused to lie down and accept their fate. Former Bolton academy graduate Luca Connell looked as eager as anyone, spurred on perhaps by the rough ride he was getting from the away end.
You could argue the young midfielder had made his bed in the previous two games in league and cup – and though his shooting was wayward, he has lost none of the tenacity which impressed Phil Parkinson back in the Championship days, convincing him to fast-track the Liverpudlian into the first team ranks.
Trafford made one smart stop at his near post from James Norwood, the Bolton defending at that point becoming a bit frantic. Part of the problem had been Jack Iredale’s withdrawal through injury, the Australian replaced by Gethin Jones since mid-December in a slightly unfamiliar left-sided role.
Aimson’s no-nonsense defending had been excellent all day, and while some of his interventions around the penalty box will never be described as graceful, they were most certainly effective when the home side looked for a spark in the second period.
Wanderers’ will had held firm, and with the minutes ticking down the energy was draining visibly in Barnsley’s efforts to get back into the contest.
Surely nothing could have been more dispiriting than the way Wanderers wrapped things up – a multi-pass move that was finished off brilliantly by Dempsey in front of the Bolton supporters.
The rest of the game descended into a virtual karaoke, the travelling supporters namechecking everyone from Eoin Toal to Kolo Toure.
It was the perfect start to the year. And if Bolton can keep this up, who knows what it might bring?
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