Bolton Blast Blues

MCFC Reserves 0 – 2 BWFC Reserves

The trotters barely needed to turn up to this game, such was the lack of desire by too many players not to want to win this game and improve their chances of winning the league title in the last home game of the season. Goals from Cesar Martin and Stelios who were part of a very experienced Bolton line up that could have easily had an un-flattering 5-0 score line in their favour.

I am all for playing the younger players to gain experience, and especially giving Adam Clayton his first start at this level, but when some of his slightly older colleagues do not put the effort in and have not really the ability to ever progress to the first team and then Adam himself played out of his natural position you can understand why a team like Bolton are made to look so good.

There is also the case that having seen that Bolton were putting out so many older and experienced players, surely many of our non playing first teamers should be on stand by ready to play to help the younger players integrate into the team. The pontin’s league team suffered heavily at the start of the season by having lack of experience in the team, but those games are there to help the players progress through the academy; making progress in the premier reserve league is a whole different ball game as it suits to try to embed players to a much higher tempo game against the higher skilled players.

We also all want to see players loaned out to gain experience from time to time, but recently just like Ashley Grimes at Swindon Town, what is the point of the player being there if he is to make just a couple of late substitute appearances in five games is of no use to that player what so ever. It is quite easy to insert a clause in the loan agreement that if the player is fit to play that he starts at least 2 games in a month’s loan period.

Paul Marshall was the only City player to have a couple of decent effort’s on the Bolton goal; one shot from the edge of the area and the other direct from a thirty yard free kick that agonisingly hit the corner of the post and the crossbar of the goal.

Fortunately for City’s management, this poor team selection has not cost City the chance at winning the league; it just means that we have to win our remaining three away fixtures because Middlesbrough only drew nil nil with Everton, leaving us two points behind leaders Manchester United with a game in hand.


City: Weaver(GK), Logan, Williamson, M Mills, N D’Laryea, Laird, Abdoun(Obeng 57), Clayton, Marshall, Miller, Sturridge.

Subs: Matthewson(GK), Williams, Moore, Ball.


Bolton: Al Habsi(GK), Sinclair, Jamieson, Thompson, Augustyn, Martin, Stelios, Nolan(Sissons 68), Harsanyi, Tal, Woolfe.

Subs: Kazimierczak(GK), Basham, Fojut, Cassidy.


Att: Around 350.