First public outing for 'new look' Wanderers in Middlesbrough friendly

Wanderers fans get their first glimpse of Ian Evatt’s ‘Plan 2.0’ today as his side play their first public friendly at Bishop Auckland against Middlesbrough.

New signings Scott Arfield and Klaidi Lolos are due to be part of the squad looking to build on their encouraging win against West Brom behind closed doors last weekend.

Evatt has hinted that he will use this summer’s friendly schedule to bed in a more “flexible” tactical system than we saw last season. The Bolton boss maintains that the style of football he has used in his four years at the club can get the Whites out of League One but he hopes to be able to bring in personnel over the coming weeks which can vary the shape and system, if needed.

Wanderers were given 350 tickets for the friendly, with Boro – who use Heritage Park for their Under-21 games – having to put sales on hold yesterday because of the global IT outage. The club have confirmed there will be no sales on the day of the game.

Evatt admitted last weekend that his squad was looking ‘light’ because of injuries and it is unlikely that Gethin Jones (knee), Dion Charles (knee), Randell Williams (foot), Chris Forino (thigh) or Carlos Mendes Gomes (Achillies) will take part.

Jack Iredale stands an outside chance after recovering from a minor groin injury but goalkeeper Luke Southwood is unlikely to feature having recently returned from a fracture in his leg.

Wanderers fans not heading to the Middlesbrough friendly this weekend can instead watch some former favourites taking part in a charity game.

The event, which is organised by the Bolton Wanderers Remembrance Group, is being held at Atherton Colls.

Nicky Hunt, Abdoulaye Faye, Filipe Morais, Jem Karacan, Jeff Smith and David Norris will all be returning to the pitch.

Luke Joyce, Chris Brown and Rhyce Ramsden will also be taking part, with John McGinlay and Mark Came managing the teams.

Gary Henshaw, John Thomason and Megan Campbell will also be in attendance as special guests.

In addition to the action on the pitch, the event will feature live music, food and drink, funfair rides and a range of stalls and activities for all ages.

Doors open from 11am at the Skuna Stadium and the match will be kicking off at 3pm.

Tickets are still available and are priced at £5 for adults and 50p for children. Family tickets for two adults and two children cost £10 (booking fees may apply).

The aim of the event is to raise funds for a number of charities and organisations that carry out important work in the local community and further afield, including Bolton Hospice, Whysup, Bolton Wanderers in the Community, Andy’s Man Club and Be Strong.

The teams will be sporting special shirts designed by Concept BWFC for the match. For every white shirt sold, £5 will go directly to Bolton Hospice and for every black shirt sold, £5 will go directly to Whysup.

Last year’s event was a huge success, raising more than £10,500 in total after a big turnout from the Wanderers faithful.

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Middlesbrough boss Carrick on Bolton Wanderers friendly



Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick says facing Wanderers was a good test for his squad as they prepare for the upcoming Championship campaign.

It was a competitive fixture for 60 minutes before the Whites made changes, with several B Team prospects thrown in at the deep end due to injuries in the squad.

Boro eventually ran out 3-0 winners after goals from Manu Latte Lath, Sonny Finch and Delano Burgzorg in Bishop Auckland.

“It was a good game, Bolton are a good team,” Carrick told the club’s official channels after the final whistle.

“We found that out last season when we played them in cup, which was one of the reasons we wanted to play them again.

“They are coached really well, Ian has done a really good job with them and they’ll probably feel they should be in our league next season.

“It was a good workout for us, probably what you would expect. There are things for us to work on in a good way.

“We are learning all the time about the group and the balance of the new lads coming in. We played some good football at times, looked dangerous and scored some good goals.”

“They played the game properly,” he continued. “They played the game in a good way and for large spells, it was a good contest.”

Boro finished eighth in the second tier last season, missing out on a play-off spot by four points.

“We are in a good place,” the manager continued. “We have got games coming thick and fast over the next couple of weeks. It is all about getting ready for the start of the season.

“It is always the case that you can’t really judge players in pre-season games, it is about putting us in a position where we feel ready. The boys have learnt a lot and I think we are building towards that.”

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