IF deadline day goes according to plan for Wanderers, then watch out League One!
Now recovered from their New Year wobble, Steven Schumacher’s revamped squad looks well capable of challenging at the top of the table, provided they can find a bit more bite up front.
Ryan Hardie looks to be the man earmarked for that job – a reliable goalscorer at this level who like so many of the new arrivals this month, already owns a promotion winner’s medal.
But his potential arrival on Monday is not the only reason to be excited by what is in store for Wanderers – and their performance across the entire game at Wimbledon was much more befitting of a team with Championship ambitions than most have been on the road this season.
By Schumacher’s own admission it isn’t perfect: Chances were missed in the first half that could have made this a cake walk, and Bolton had to rely on their defensive prowess a little too much in the second half for the comfort of the 1,000 people biting their fingernails to the quick behind the goal.
Once again, though, Jack Bonham in goal walked away from 90 minutes of football where he did not have a single shot on target to worry him. Sure, there were some hairy moments as the Dons threw everything forward at the end, and one loose pass from the otherwise faultless Chris Forino caused a collective intake of breath, but Bolton always had another gear, and options on the bench.
This looks more like a squad that fans can trust and provided those finishing touches can be applied over the next day-or-so, there is every reason to believe that they will be serious challengers to Lincoln and Cardiff over the weeks to come.
New loan signing Corey Blackett-Taylor scored the decisive goal at Plough Lane, finishing off a scintillating move which started with Bonham’s punch at a Wimbledon corner, moved on by Kyle Dempsey’s bravery on the edge of the box, and via Rob Apter and John McAtee’s guile, put the winger through to finish in style from an angle past Nathan Bishop.
Bolton should have scored more. Apter did everything right on his debut but finish the chances that came his way. The Charlton wide man sought out possession, picked out passes at angles that others wouldn’t dare and put in a couple of appetising crosses that screamed for someone to show a bit of attacking instinct.
To finish a month of nine fixtures against a team who had no midweek game was a big ask, even if the Dons went into Saturday lunchtime with no recent form of which to speak.
Wanderers were aided by two stellar midfield performances from Ethan Erhahon and Kyle Dempsey, who continually turned over possession, hunting down every loose pass or heavy touch, disrupting any sense of rhythm the home team were trying to create.
John McAtee should have capped off another good display with a goal, Erhahon’s hassling providing him with one clear-cut chance midway through the half which was rather tamely tapped at Bishop.
The Salfordian smacked the turf in annoyance, but his all-round play should give him much more hope that he can find a niche in Schumacher’s side and become the terrace hero the away fans would clearly love him to be.
Wanderers have had these days before and, indeed, they have dropped points as a result of their lack of ruthlessness. Hardie or otherwise, that clinical edge is all that is missing at the moment. It seems likely that one unlucky opponent is going to soon bear the brunt.
Wimbledon still felt they had a chance at 1-0 and they were encouraged into the game with a cluster of cheap free kicks and corners conceded at the start of the second half that took the momentum away from Bolton.
Steve Seddon poked one chance wide and Marcus Browne might have done better when Forino’s loose pass found him dead centre of goal – but just as you had confidence in Wanderers’ stability, so you could be sure that Wimbledon did not have the attacking snap to go and win the game.
Young winger junior Nkeng looks to be a talent worth keeping an eye on in the future, and he made life uncomfortable for Eoin Toal and Co after his half time arrival as a substitute. It was only mild discomfort, though, and while the travelling fans shifted anxiously between their catalogue of catchy songs, those on the pitch defended well.
George Johnston deserved credit, seemingly filling a void between centre-half, left-back and left wing-back and sticking to his duties well as the Whites started to tire after the break.
Once Schumacher had made his customary changes, the pace of Thierry Gale and the trickery of Ibrahim Cissoko gave Wimbledon a bit more to worry about. And that is the key thing – with Josh Sheehan set to return against Barnsley next weekend and a couple more players to add to the mix, it feels that Schumacher can once again pick from a squad with several of its components in good form.
Perhaps the biggest job the Bolton boss and his players now have is to convince the whole fanbase that they are ready for a promotion charge.
There were celebratory scenes, smiles and fist pumps at the final whistle in South London in front of those lucky souls who could get a ticket. Next weekend it is back to the Toughsheet to satisfy a larger, arguably more demanding gaze.
Wanderers’ home record this season has been outstanding and if they can find a way to get the same energy spread across 20,000 people as they do in away ends up and down the country between now and May, we could have something very special on our hands.
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