By Gordon Sharrock: Bolton Wanderers 2, Barnsley 2 THEY might be struggling to make ends meet - on the field as well as off it - but at least it's good to know that Wanderers aren't kidding themselves.

Honesty being the best policy, Mike Whitlow pulled no punches in assessing the latest let-down.

First he dubbed himself "old dozey head" for the mistake that led to Barnsley's first goal, then mounted a determined defence of the off-target strikers, who were shouldering all the blame for another disappointing result.

"It's easy talking about missed chances," he countered, "but there's an onus on us at the back to give those lads a chance!"

But the captain made his most significant point with his acknowledgement that the league table is the only accurate measure of a team's status - and it doesn't look good!

"It's easy saying we SHOULD be winning games," Whitlow said, dismissing the post-match platitudes. "We want to be up there giving everybody optimism but at the moment we're not doing that, which is a damn shame.

"It's all right having the plaudits, people saying how well we've played and all that nonsense. If you don't win it means nothing.

"We have to be getting points on the board. We've got six and it should be many more than that.

"Draws are no good at all. All right, for confidence it's better than getting beat but we need to be winning games.

"Once in a while it would be nice to play absolutely stinking and win 1-0."

As a unit, they are not defending all that badly. Andy Todd and Gudni Bergsson went about their jobs competently and confidently, and the only glaring error was that "silly mistake" Whitlow confessed to.

Yet the way things are going at the moment, Patrick Moore has more chance of seeing another solar eclipse than Wanderers have of keeping a clean sheet.

The fates and their own defensive inadequacies continue to conspire against them and, although the attackers who miss clear-cut chances are fair-game when fingers are being pointed, a solid and reliable defence has to be the first requirement. Some managers in similar situations have elected for a root and branch reform of their defensive strategy but Colin Todd is steadfastly sticking to his principles.

"I suppose I could play three at the back, five in midfield, two up front . . . and upset people," he replied with a light-hearted sarcasm when asked of possible tactical remedies.

"No! I'll continue to play 4-4-2. I've no intention of changing the way we play. There are certain things which have to improve to make us more solid but, when wearein possession, we can be absolutely tremendous. I'm not going to stop players playing because, sooner or later, we might win a game 4-0, which is what the score could have been after just 20 minutes on Saturday."

It was, nevertheless, an all-too-familiar story: the squandering Wanderers take the lead, miss a hatful of chances, are punished for a defensive error then fall behind to a sensational strike! In the end they rescue a point and console themselves again for having the character to fight to the bitter end.

That it had to come to that suggests serious flaws in a team that has enough individual talent to be in the shake-up at the other end of the table rather than being down in the First Division doldrums.

But the bottom line is one win in seven league attempts. The trend is a worrying one and unless it takes a significant turn for the better, early season jitters will soon turn into a mid-season crisis.

Teams cannot survive on generous tributes from opposition managers. Dave Bassett was the latest, sounding surprisingly satisfied with the result after Ricardo Gardner's deflected late equaliser had denied his Barnsley team two points that would have lifted them to third in the table.

"I don't begrudge Bolton a point," he admitted. "They are a decent side and their league position isn't realistic at the moment so I'd have to be satisfied coming here and getting a draw.

"It would have been an injustice if Bolton hadn't got a point out of it, although when you're 2-1 up with six or seven minutes to go, you do see the winning post in sight and think you're getting all three."

There was a certain irony in the fact that, having cleverly created and missed eight clear-cut chances, Wanderers had to rely on an own goal and a lucky deflection to salvage a draw.

Poor David Tuttle! He couldn't help himself knocking the ball into his own net in the fourth minute when Eidur Gudjohnsen knocked it back into the danger area after Kevin Miller had parried his header from Michael Johansen's cross. And the former Palace defender was helpless again when Gardner's shot took a big deviation off his thigh to wrong-foot his keeper to restore the equilibrium five minutes from the end.

"The deflection caught him out," Gardner admitted. "I think the keeper would have got it.

"I missed a couple of first-half chances but at least it made up for it in the end.

"The result was a bitter disappointment but we were very determined and deserved at least a point."

Maybe so. But for a good slice of a comparatively flat second half they didn't look like getting it.

Craig Hignett, who scored twice in the same fixture last season, continued his love affair with the Reebok when he struck the 16th minute equaliser. It was a typical offering from a Dave Bassett side - a counter-attack and a long ball over the top from Darren Barnard for Hignett to show his class, jockeying Whitlow before curling a sweet left-footer beyond Keith Branagan.

When Barnard spectacularly volleyed Barnsley in front with only their second shot on target eight minutes into the second half, a mood of foreboding spread around the ground, except for the South Stand where the big Tykes' following sensed victory.

Supporters totted up the chances that should have had the points in the bag by half time; well-crafted openings - three for Gardner, one for Gudjohnsen. They'd suffered some rotten luck too when Robbie Elliott hit the bar with a header and Bob Taylor slammed the rebound against the post!

When Gudjohnsen, who promises to deliver so much, was wayward with his finishing twice more in the second half and a determined attack saw Frandsen's certain equaliser blocked by a defender, even Todd was thinking: "This is going to be one of those days!"

Barnsley went away convinced they were denied a late penalty when Andy Todd bodychecked Nicky Eaden and conceded an indirect free kick inside the penalty area.

"A somewhat strange decision," was how Bassett described it.

Wanderers were cool about the decision and more relieved that Bergsson was faultless to the last, winning a personal duel with Bruce Dyer.

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