WANDERERS (4-2-3-1)
JACK BONHAM…5.
Redeemed himself with a big save in stoppage time but the mistake was a real gamechanger. The first real blot on his Bolton copybook.
JORDI OSEI-TUTU…6.5.
Bright in the first half, less so in the second. He got himself into the penalty box quite a lot as the crosses kept coming from Blackett-Taylor.
EOIN TOAL…6.5.
Great clearance early on ahead of Ennis. And when the skipper powered home his first goal since August, Bolton looked home and dry.
CHRIS FORINO…6.
Made one really important block at the end and caused a few issues for Blackpool from corners – but the Seasiders did get behind him and Johnston on the left a few times.
GEORGE JOHNSTON…6.
Back at left-back and did a solid job, happy to feed it forward for Blackett-Taylor to torment his marker. Clarkson got beyond him to create the chance for Ennis.
JOSH SHEEHAN…5.5.
Not the domineering performance he would have wanted after signing a new deal. Could do little about the goal but midfield had slowed to a crawl by that point.
ETHAN ERHAHON…5.5.
Both Erhahon and Sheehan dropped off in the last 20 minutes and stopped picking up the second balls. Left for dead by Bowler in the build up to the equaliser.
ROB APTER…6.
His corner was right on the money for Toal – and many of Bolton’s set pieces were on the day – but he should have scored with a header early in the game.
KYLE DEMPSEY…7.
Like Apter, his set pieces were dangerous. Dempsey scrapped away on his return to the starting line-up and just about edged man of the match.
COREY BLACKETT-TAYLOR…6.5.
Without doubt the star of the first 45 minutes, Blackett-Taylor was everywhere at one point. Did slow after the break, giving Gale a chance to pick things up.
SAM DALBY…5.5.
Bit of a fruitless afternoon for the centre-forward, which is disappointing considering the number of crosses that Bolton were getting into the penalty area.
Subs: Gale 76 (for Blackett-Taylor) – Maybe a tad late to the party?
Burstow 76 (for Apter) – Fantastic finish but his change also felt reactive.
Conway 82 (for Erhahon) – Definitely needed his energy at the end.
Kenny 82 (for Johnston) – Flashed one offside chance wide.
Not used: Christie, Harrington, Simons.
Blackpool (3-5-2): Peacock-Farrell; Casey, Horsfall, Ashworth; Walters, Anderson, Brown, Clarkson, Coulson; Fletcher, Ennis.
Subs: Honeyman 60 (for Clarkson), Bowler 70 (for Anderson), Bloxham 70 (for Ennis), Hamilton 88 (for Coulson).
Not used: Nwankwo, Ravizzoli, Richardson.
Referee: Richard Eley 7/10 – Hallelujah! A refreshing refereeing performance that failed to take centre stage. Let the game flow, played some good advantages, allowed for the fact there were local passions at stake. Can we have you every week?
Attendance: 23,172
MAN OF THE MATCH – Kyle Dempsey
The influential midfielder kept on ticking when others were flagging. Dempsey’s set pieces have also been a great find of late, and if Wanderers can profit a bit more from the number of quality deliveries going into the box, then they should keep themselves on track for the play-offs.
MOAN OF THE MATCH
Having finally got themselves ahead it was like the air had been let out of the balloon. Wanderers slowed down, stopped winning any second balls, ad dawdled their way to the final stages of the game. Blackpool, who had absorbed so much, suddenly looked like a brand-new team again.
MAGIC MOMENT
Sensational header from Burstow to equalise five minutes before the end. Gale’s cross was a very good one but the striker still had plenty to do in order to get it back across goal and on target. Whisper it quietly, but we might be getting another striker into form.
ATMOSPHERE
Lots of questions asked about the return of Ian Evatt and what it would do to a fixture that rarely lacks needle between the two sets of Lancastrian supporters. In the end, Bolton’s tone was very respectful towards their former boss. He gave a salutary round of applause to the home fans on his way off the pitch, which was a nice touch.
Share