Bolton 1-0 Peterborough

Next up we play Peterborough at home.

Will it be the same old shite and another loss or will Evatt pull the 3 points out the bag?

karlypants wrote:Next up we play Peterborough at home.

Will it be the same old shite and another loss or will Evatt pull the 3 points out the bag?

Same old SHITE!!!!

Cajunboy wrote:

karlypants wrote:Next up we play Peterborough at home.

Will it be the same old shite and another loss or will Evatt pull the 3 points out the bag?

Same old SHITE!!!!

Come on lads, heads up, we didn't do that bad playing away against the team that is going to walk the league, so no reason to be so defeatist with three quarters of the season still to go.

Peterborough are only actually 1 point better off than us and have played 2 games more than us.

I don't see why we shouldn't get a result against them.

Christ even Wigan's beat them this season.

It's a win for me!

Bolton Wanderers v Peterborough United: Big Match Preview

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Ian Evatt did not wish to be judged on his team’s result against Birmingham City, a team he felt was an outlier in League One by virtue of their record summer spending.

From here to the next international break in November, he may have no choice in the matter.

The midweek defeat at St Andrew’s was itself a unique 90 minutes – one in which the Bolton boss turned his regular possession-based philosophy on its head and surrendered much of his team’s attacking intent until the final stages.

Had the plan worked, a point been salvaged in an improved second half display, then the conversation leading into this weekend’s meeting with Peterborough United might have been along more positive lines.

Evatt briefly brought up the argument against his lack of ‘Plan B’ in his post-match assessment at St Andrew’s, pointing to the first hour of the game as an example that his team can hunker down and defend when required. But hailing the success of his gameplan was a hard sell, particularly to those who feel team selection was somewhat subservient for a club with automatic promotion ambitions of their own.

Based purely on the evidence presented since the start of the season, Birmingham are out on their own. If we are to group Bolton with the other 23 clubs, then only one automatic place is now up for grabs and Evatt’s side need to show they are the best of the rest.

Three league and two cup games remain before the next break and many supporters require convincing that this squad can do what last season’s group could not.

Common wisdom dictates that results against ‘top six rivals’ are where Wanderers have tripped-up in the past. Last term the club’s record read: Won two, drawn six, lost two; a season earlier, Bolton won three, drew four and lost three. In two campaigns which ended in play-off defeat the Whites have won five of 20 games against the teams the league table lists as their direct competitors.

Peterborough United have been one of those opponents for the last two seasons, and arguably the one against which Evatt has enjoyed the most success.

After doing the double over Posh in 2022/23, including a memorable 5-0 win at London Road, two frantic draws followed last term, the last of which crystalised the play-off path that would eventually finish up in disappointment at Wembley.

Posh, like Bolton, have experienced an underwhelming start, their free-flowing attack often stymied by a leaky defence. No team in the EFL have scored more goals than Darren Ferguson’s team in 2024 but predictability has been their downfall.

They led 2-1 at Birmingham at the end of last month, only to lose the game 3-2, and heavy defeats at Wigan Athletic and Wycombe Wanderers have followed since, but when their young, pacy attack is firing, the results can still be exciting to watch, just as Blackpool, who were vanquished 5-1 in midweek.

Two of the goals on Tuesday night came from Joel Randall, a player for whom Wanderers made two considerable bids in the summer. The attacking midfielder had been seen as the ideal man to spark a ‘new look’ Bolton but Posh owner Darragh MacAnthony went on public record to say he did not want to do business with a club he considered a promotion rival.

Neither club has done much to warrant MacAnthony’s haughty definition over the first quarter of this season, but both will still harbour an ambition to be around the top six by the time the next international hiatus arrives in November.

Wanderers go to Stevenage on Tuesday, then travel to Stockport County after the FA Cup weekend, all with the purpose of ensuring the league table makes better reading over the break.

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With all our injuries and the weakest defence I can remember in recent years I can see Posh’s young, energetic forwards having a field day. With Demps, Thommo and Baxter out we’ll do well to come away with a point and that’s not being negative, just realistic.

Posh have pace aplenty, but their leaky defence gives us a chance to nick this.
Keep their front men quiet and it's job done. 3-1 Whites.

Whitesince63 wrote:With all our injuries and the weakest defence I can remember in recent years I can see Posh’s young, energetic forwards having a field day. With Demps, Thommo and Baxter out we’ll do well to come away with a point and that’s not being negative, just realistic.

Despite my prediction (I’m testing a system), I whole-heartedly agree with this.

If we get more than a point from this game I’ll be amazed. Despite having a better squad, I think we’re performing at Peterborough’s level and they’re underperforming so far.

I hope I’m wrong but just don’t see 3 points here.

Seem to be playing 3-4-2-1 again with two number 10's supporting Vic this time.

Sluffy wrote:They say the only thing certain in life is death and taxes - well I would add to that Evatt's inflexibility.

What an ending to the game!!!

The lads played fantastic, defenders defending properly, all the players with some fantastic passing and attacking at goal.

We could have had multiple goals and should have had another penalty at least!

That was a whole lot better.

We should have had more goals though.

Can we keep EVANS in the stands.

Ian Evatt believes his side was well-worth three points against Peterborough United – even if they had to wait until the last seconds to snatch the result.

Klaidi Lolos chested home the winning goal in the 98th minute after Dion Charles had a penalty saved by Nicholas Bilokapic, sparking joyous scenes at the Toughsheet.

Wanderers had swarmed the Peterborough goal for most of the game, missing some gilt-edged chances, and looked to be heading for a somewhat frustrating point.

“Sometimes in football you don’t get what you deserve but today we got what we deserved,” Evatt said after the game.

“That was a performance which resembles what we have created this last four or five years. We passed and moved the ball well, created so many chances, frustratingly we didn’t take them, but it would have been easy for the players to feel sorry for themselves and back off because of the chances we’d missed and see the game through but they kept going, kept believing.

“We deserved to win that game and to keep a clean sheet against a team which are so dangerous. That front four – I thought we kept them really quiet, in general, they had one or two moments but they are bound to do, they are top players.

“But this was a clean sheet and a victory that was thoroughly deserved with a performance which resembles, it’s very pleasing.”

Posh boss Darren Ferguson complained that referee Ollie Yates should have ended the game after Bilokapic saved the initial penalty from Charles.

Evatt felt, however, that his side should have had at least one other spot kick awarded, with George Johnston and Ricardo Santos both feeling they had been shoved earlier in the second half.

“I thought we should have had one or two penalties more, some of the holding and grappling was persistent and facing away from the ball. It should have been punished,” he said.

“The last one is a penalty and so were the two before it but I am not going to concentrate on any type of negativity today because I thought that was a really good performance and I was pleased with what my players did.”

Lolos was injured on his debut at Leyton Orient back in August and his second-half appearance from the bench was his first in the league since.

Evatt was delighted to see his summer signing score his first for the club.

“Klaidi has missed a large period and worked really hard to get himself back. He trained well this week and I wanted to get him on and see how he could get through the minutes, if we could create something, because he is a goal-scorer,” he said.

“He was there, right man, right place, right time.”

Evatt served the final game of his touchline suspension and had a bird’s eye view of the drama unfolding on the pitch.

“The gantry has taken some hammer,” he said. “I’m just glad I’m a bit lighter now.

“To be honest I was just happy with the way the players were playing, we looked in a good place. The way we controlled the ball and the game, we were dominant in possession, we had 24 shots, 11 on target, it is much more like us as a team.

“It was important post-Birmingham to react to a defeat with a victory. To do that against a good team that has just won 5-1 against Blackpool, a confident and dangerous team, of all the games we have had – and we have had some good games against Peterborough – that was the most dominant. I was really satisfied with that performance.”

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Highlights - defo was a penalty, their player was clearly pulling him back.

Fwiw if there was VAR the penalty would almost certainly have had to be retaken as Williams was a yard or more inside the circle before the ball was even kicked!

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Darren Ferguson says his Peterborough side were cost by a “horrendous mistake” as they suffered a late defeat at Wanderers.

Klaidi Lolos bundled home with virtually the final kick of the match after Dion Charles’ penalty had been saved by Nicholas Bilokapic.

“The game we are involved in can be very cruel, as it showed today with the last kick of the ball,” said Ferguson.

“As managers, players and fans, this is what we are up against with the standard and quality of the officials.

“Watching it back, the linesman has to stand on the line to obviously see if there is any infringement.

“Charles has made the kick, Nick saved it and he has ran back out the way so he can’t see anything.

“I just spoke to the assessor and he said he has made a horrendous mistake. If he stands where he is, it is a handball.

"I am told it is the last kick of the ball, he has three attempts at it. I am told it is 96:30 because of the substitution and they get the corner on 97:02. They are miles away, the standard.”

The result leaves Peterborough 13th in the League One table following a frustrating start to the campaign.

However, Ferguson is confident positive results are around the corner if they can replicate the “desire and determination” shown at the Toughsheet Community Stadium.

“They are a good team, Bolton. They will be in the top six, no question, with the amount of money they have spent and the amount of players they have. They have got good quality in their team,” he added.

“When you come away from home, sometimes what you might get is you are not brilliant on the ball or perfect in possession, and we certainly weren’t second half.

“First half, I thought we were good. If you get that, you have to have determination to make sure get a clean sheet. We showed it today and deserved a clean sheet.

“It has taken the referee’s awful decision… not the penalty so much, but after that or before that in terms of the time.

“I just said that is the starting point and if we can show that desire and determination, with the quality we have got, we will win lots of games.”

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Excellent three points well deserved and a piece of good luck for a change.

Maybe give Lolos a turn in the rotation of strikers now. Not just because he scored but he has to be better than poor old Vic. 
Good performance all around although a tad too much pussyfooting around with the ball again for my liking.
Onwards COYWM

Good video this is, it shows the keeper very nearly saved it on his third attempt - he unluckily kicked the ball on to the onrushing Lolos, and then if you followed the video on through the goal celebration, seemed to show Lolos injury himself when punching the air.

It also seems to support their managers claim about handball, although I don't know what the rule is these days and it is unclear where the ball exactly hit him - was it chest or high up on the arm?  Anyway as I noted earlier Williams was clearly a yard in the penalty area before the ball was kicked which clearly meant the penalty should have been retaken.

So it is what it is - a bit of luck for us this time.