MATCH REPORT: Bolton Wanderers beaten on penalties by Aston Villa's kids[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Wanderers fluffed their lines in 90 minutes and then again in the penalty shoot-out to leave themselves red-faced against Aston Villa’s kids.Aaron Collins and George Thomason had penalties saved by the outstanding Oliwier Zych to give the young Midlanders something to celebrate on a night desperately lacking in any quality football for those few who turned out.
Victor Adeboyejo had salvaged a complete embarrassment, levelling the game with 10 minutes to go when Trai-Varn Mulley had given the visitors a shock first-half lead.
The Bristol Street Motors Trophy might be low down on everyone’s priority list this season but that is not to excuse a dire display.
Wanderers made seven changes from the side that had drawn against Shrewsbury, handing Luke Hutchinson a debut in goal and bringing Luke Matheson and Klaidi Lolos in for their first starts of the season.
With the exception of their goalkeeper, the experience in the Bolton line-up contrasted greatly with a Villa team which had been almost entirely switched from their Premier League 2 match against Newcastle United at the weekend. Just defender Ethan Amundsen-Day survived in a squad who barely had a player above the age of 20, and whose average squad number was a whopping 76.5.
Whispers of another cricket score like the one registered against Manchester United last season passed around the small crowd, and when Aaron Collins broke through to bring a save out of keeper Oliwier Zych after less than 60 seconds, a landslide did look likely.
Wanderers virtually pinned the youngsters into their own penalty box for 20 minutes, and should have put the game well beyond doubt in that time.
Randell Williams scooped a shot over from point blank range and was then denied a goalscoring opportunity by a fine challenge from Leon Routh after linking up well with George Thomason.
When Ricardo Santos played a sympathetic back-pass to Hutchinson on the 15 minute mark, you wondered whether the academy graduate would see the ball again, but Bolton’s wastefulness in front of goal would soon come back to haunt them.
John McAtee looked in the mood, hassling and harrying to win possession, but his shooting radar was not quite in synch. After driving one effort wide from the edge of the box he then flicked a diving header wide from a lot closer in.
His strike partner Collins was faring no better. He slashed and bobbled a few efforts at goal without any luck but it looked like only a matter of time before the Whites made a breakthrough.
Lolos thought he had scored after getting his head to Williams’ left-wing cross but watched as Polish keeper Zych clawed the ball off his own line.
Matheson and Williams wasted two more presentable chances before the game was turned completely on its head with Villa’s first attack of any note. Brad Burrowes got space to swing a cross in which drifted over keeper Hutchinson and left Trai-Varn Mulley the simple task of heading into an empty net in front of a deserted North Stand.
Zych’s heroics continued, and even more impressive save to push Lolos’s powerful drive over the top when he seemed to be moving the other way. And moments later he was brave at the feet of Jay Matete to make another important stop, sending his team ahead – somehow – at the break.
Evatt is unlikely to have issued a half-time team-talk with as much venom as he did on Saturday against Shrewsbury but he cannot have been pleased with the lack of end product his side had produced after so much territorial pressure.
They nearly got a helping hand just after the break when Amundsen-Day diverted a cross from George Johnston just wide of his own post. The same defender then made a timely challenge to stop Collins from breaking through a few moments later.
Wanderers continued to command all the possession but had started to run low on ideas around the hour mark, when Evatt brought on Vic Adeboyejo for Lolos to give some extra muscle up front.
Considering the experience gap, the fact the League One men were now scrambling to get back into the contest was concerning enough. The quality of some individual performances, however, bordered on the embarrassing.
Williams had a poor night curtailed mercifully early, as Sam Inwood came on off the bench, and Kyle Dempsey came on to try and add some more urgency to a game that had gone flat.
The midfielder struck the crossbar with virtually his first touch, a fierce free kick from 25 yards given for a foul on McAtee.
But it was fellow replacement Adeboyejo that spared Bolton’s blushes, heading home Collins’ cross for his first goal since the opening day of the season at Leyton Orient.
Wanderers’ subs certainly added something that the second half had been lacking, Dempsey lashing another savage drive just wide with nine minutes left on the clock.
The fourth official may have found some of the extra minutes from Saturday tucked away in the dugout, offering Bolton another five to try and avoid a penalty shootout. But just like the Shrewsbury game, the composure needed in the penalty box just wasn’t there.
A point secured, could Bolton grab a second via spot kicks?
Borland scored the first for Villa but Collins – who had endured a poor night – had his effort saved by Zych.
Amundsen-Day blasted his penalty into the top corner, Dempsey also striking his kick well to score.
Brannigan sent Hutchinson the wrong way but Villa keeper Zych was then handed his second yellow card of the game for leaving his line. A quirk of the rules means there is a reset at the start of a shootout, so he was able to continue, and save Thomason’s effort.
Burrowes then nestled the winning spot kick into the bottom corner to win the game.
Not the debut Hutchinson would have wanted. And not, in any way, shape, or form, a night to remember for Wanderers.
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