Wanderers 0, Cambridge Utd 1: WANDERERS' hopes of a good run in the FA Youth Cup were shattered when substitute Nick Robins grabbed a late winner for Cambridge at the Reebok on Wednesday night.
Robins struck eight minutes from time to clinch a victory that owed much to the display of visiting keeper George Clark, who made a number of good saves to keep Wanderers at bay.
In contrast, home keeper Andrew Price had little to do until, moments after producing an impressive stop to keep out Darren Quinton's shot, he was beaten at close range when Robins pounced on a loose ball.
A home tie in the fourth round was the incentive but the Bolton academy boys, watched by a crowd of 1,032, failed to make their superior quality count against a much stronger Cambridge side.
Wales U21 international Mikey Byrne posed the main attacking threat. He went close with a couple of headers and just before half-time was unlucky to see his lob sail just over the bar.
With Reece Jones, Joseph O'Brien and Michael Gillan working well in midfield Lewis Hamlin had the ball in the net on 64 minutes but was denied by a marginal offside decision.
Byrne and Ricky Shakes were both narrowly off target as the young Wanderers looked for the winner. But their luck was out.
Wanderers: Price, Errington, Livesey, Moran, Talbot (Gibb 86 mins), Shakes, Jones, Hamlin, O'Brien, Gillan, Byrne (Thach 86mins).
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