THE BEN's exclusive website reports from this Lancashire derby
14:54: FA BARCLAYCARD PREMIERSHIP: BOLTON WANDERERS V BLACKBURN ROVERS, The Reebok
Stadium, Saturday March 3, 2002
ROVERS new-boy Hakan Unsal was handed a Premiership debut ahead of this afternoon's crunch clash with Bolton at the Reebok.
Signed from Turkish giants Galatasaray ahead of yesterday's noon deadline, the 28-year-old utility man was expected to play on the left
hand side of midfield against Wanderers.
But wing-men Damien Duff and Keith Gillespie were both surprise omissions from Graeme Souness's starting line-up and had to settle for
places on the bench.
Recent signing Yordi was also among the Rovers substitutes but Garry Flitcroft and Lucas Neill both returned after missing out in the
Worthington Cup final.
For Bolton, manager Sam Allardyce sprung a surprise of his own by leaving top scorer Michael Ricketts on the bench.
But French international Youri Djorkaeff was handed a home debut.
Bolton: Jaaskelainen, Ngotty, Whitlow, Bergsson, Gardner, Niolan, Bobic, Southall, Wallace, Djorkaeff, Tofting. Subs: Poole, Holdsworth,
Ricketts, Espartero, Barness
Rovers: Friedel, Berg, Bjornebye, Flitcroft, Dunn, Cole, Jansen, Hughes, Johansson, Unsal, Neill. Subs: Miller, Yordi, Duff, Gillespie, Taylor.
Referee: P Durkin
15:55: FA BARCLAYCARD PREMIERSHIP: HALF-TIME: BOLTON WANDERERS 1 BLACKBURN ROVERS 0, The Reebok Stadium, Saturday March 3,
2002
ROVERS' Worthington Cup hero Andy Cole became the villain of the peace after seeing red for retaliation in a stormy first half at the
Reebok.
Cole was sent off in the 18th minute after lashing out at Mike Whitlow following a late challenge by the Wanderers defender.
And Rovers' 10-men then paid the ultimate price when Rod Wallace pounced on a defensive slip by Henning Berg in first half injury time to
fire Bolton ahead.
With so much at stake in the battle against relegation, both sides suffered from nerves in a tense opening quarter of an hour.
But the game exploded into life when Whitlow then clattered into Cole in the 18th minute and the Blackburn man reacted by stamping on the
Wanderers defender.
Rovers then reorganised and could have taken the lead when David Dunn fed Lucas Neill but the Australian international fired straight at
Jussi Jaaskelainen.
As the half wore on, however, Wanderers' numerical advantage began to count and Riccardo Gardner lifted his shot over the bar after an
almighty scramble following a Youri Djorkaeff corner.
But they did break the deadlock in first half injury time when Fredi Bobic flicked on Stig Tofting's lofted clearance and Berg made a hash of
his backpass, allowing Wallace to run clear and slot home the opener.
Bolton: Jaaskelainen, Ngotty, Whitlow, Bergsson, Gardner, Niolan, Bobic, Southall, Wallace, Djorkaeff, Tofting. Subs: Poole, Holdsworth,
Ricketts, Espartero, Barness
Rovers: Friedel, Berg, Bjornebye, Flitcroft, Dunn, Cole, Jansen, Hughes, Johansson, Unsal, Neill. Subs: Miller, Yordi, Duff, Gillespie, Taylor.
Referee: P Durkin
17:00: FA BARCLAYCARD PREMIERSHIP: FULL-TIME: BOLTON WANDERERS 1 BLACKBURN ROVERS 1, The Reebok Stadium, Saturday March 3,
2002
TEN-MAN Rovers boosted their survival hopes after leading scorer Matt Jansen grabbed a priceless second half equaliser at the Reebok.
Rovers looked to be heading for an 11th defeat from their last 13 games after Rod Wallace had fired Wanderers into a 1-0 interval lead.
But Jansen then got Rovers out of jail when he smashed home his 12th goal of the season in the 68th minute to even things up.
With so much at stake in the battle against relegation, both sides suffered from nerves in a tense opening quarter of an hour.
But the game exploded into life when Mike Whitlow then clattered into Andy Cole in the 18th minute and the Blackburn man reacted by
stamping on the Wanderers defender leaving referee Paul Durkin with no option but to show him a red card.
Rovers then reorganised and could have taken the lead when David Dunn fed Lucas Neill but the Australian international fired straight at
Jussi Jaaskelainen.
As the half wore on, however, Wanderers' numerical advantage began to count and Riccardo Gardner lifted his shot over the bar after an
almighty scramble following a Youri Djorkaeff corner.
But they did break the deadlock in first half injury time when Fredi Bobic flicked on Stig Tofting's lofted clearance and Berg made a hash of
his backpass, allowing Wallace to run clear and slot home the opener.
After the break, Brad Friedel then saved brilliantly from both Djorkaeff and Kevin Nolan as Wanderers turned the screw.
But as the tension increased, Jansen then handed Rovers a lifeline when he pounced on a loose ball to fire a brilliant effort into the far
corner.
In a frantic finale, both sides had chances to win it.
Bolton sub Michael Ricketts fired straight at Friedel and Damien Duff then had a volley palmed to safety at the opposite end.
But in the end a point apiece was about right meaning it's as you were at the bottom.
click HERE for all our preview stories as we followed the build-up to the match
click HERE for the Monday Big Match Verdict with Gordon Sharrock - and all the reaction from both clubs
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