WANDERERS’ long wait for a win at Bloomfield Road continues – but they won’t come closer to ending ‘The Curse’ than they did on their 18th winless trip.
Xav Simons thought he had won the game with seven minutes left to go after a drilled shot from Josh Sheehan’s well-worked corner took a deflection past Bailey Peacock-Farrell, sending a sell-out away end into raptures.
But Thierry Gale was spotted in an offside position in front of the Blackpool keeper, cutting short the celebrations and leaving Bolton staring down the barrel of a fourth straight 1-1 draw.
Unlike last week’s stalemate against Lincoln, the mood was a positive one even as Sam Dalby flashed an even later header over the crossbar and ref Tom Nield brought a tense game to a close.
Mason Burstow had brought the Whites deservedly level on the hour with his third goal of the season, and though Teddy Sharman-Lowe did make a fine save to deny Dale Taylor late in the second half, it would be a bold claim to say Blackpool deserved all three points.
The Seasiders had scored with their first attack and had defended stoically for most of the game thereafter. Questions may be asked of Bolton’s sharpness in front of goal after playing their opponents off the park in the first 15 minutes but they once again showed character to get themselves back on an equal footing.
Steven Schumacher made two changes to the side that drew against Lincoln with Josh Sheehan and Aaron Morley coming in for Joel Randall and Xavier Simons.
Morley played for the first time this season in a more advanced midfield role, behind Mason Burstaw, and there as no space in the squad once again for John McAtee.
Bolton made a bright start, with Burstow running clear at one point on to a George Johnston ball but failing to get a shot away after feeling he had been pulled back by a defender.
Plenty of pressure had been put on the home goal but with their first attack the Seasiders managed to open the scoring. A straightforward ball from the back found Taylor on halfway and he spun past Johnston, fending him off until the penalty box where he beat Sharman-Lowe with a skidding shot which bounced back off the post and into the net via the prone keeper.
Wanderers struggled to resume at the same pace but continued to dominate possession. Cozier-Duberry found himself double marked but Ibrahim Cissoko struggled to make any meaningful impact on the left side, leaving the travelling supporters growing increasingly impatient as the half time break approached.
Their mood wasn’t improved when Josh Sheehan had a big penalty shout turned down by referee Tom Nield right on the break, with the Welshman claiming he had been nudged by Taylor on the edge of the box.
Wanderers brought on Thierry Gale for Cissoko at half time and did not immediately look like breaking through a home defence that now had something to protect.
The equaliser arrived rather out of the blue, as first Max Conway then Cozier-Duberry advanced into the penalty box, the latter hitting a shot which cannoned off the massed Blackpool bodies and landed perfectly for Burstow to drive home from close range.
Sharman-Lowe kept Wanderers in the game with a smart stop to deny Taylor, Ashley Fletcher then getting in his team-mate’s way as he tried to tap in the follow up.
Bolton got back on the front foot, however, and put some serious pressure on the Blackpool goal towards the end, which culminated in Simons’ disallowed goal.
Dalby – also on as a sub – had a half-chance to make himself a hero when he got on the end of Josh Dacres-Cogley’s centre at the bitter end but to no avail.
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