WANDERERS hit high-flying Sunderland for six in a stunning victory at the UniBol.
Dion Charles scored twice, with further goals from Dapo Afolayan, Kieran Lee, Declan John and a Danny Batth own goal, in what was the club’s biggest win since moving from Burnden Park.
Sunderland simply had no answer to the Whites’ flowing football, and in truth, it could have been even more.
In the opening stages neither side quite got to grips with the blustery conditions but Wanderers got themselves ahead on 19 minutes with a weather-assisted goal and never looked back.
James Trafford’s long clearance caught in the wind, leaving advancing keeper Thorben Hoffmann yards out of his goal. Charles nipped in to loft his shot into the empty net.
Lee should have made it two a few minutes later when he clipped Marlon Fossey’s cross over the bar from close range.
Bolton have not lost a game this season in which they have gone ahead and though Lee’s miss was a bad one, their confidence did not look dented.
Afolayan brought a save out of Hoffmann at his near post and Dan Neil came up with a goal-saving block to deny Declan John after Aaron Morley had also gone close.
Wanderers were rampant, and after Afolayan had gone close with one of his trademark cut-ins from the left, he doubled the lead with a magnificent strike just before half time.
The former West Ham man won the ball on the edge of his own penalty area and rode two clumsy challenges before spraying out a fine ball to Charles in the right channel. He then sprinted 50 yards to get on the end of Charles’s cross, which was flicked up by Lee, to slam the ball past Hoffmann.
His celebration revealed a tribute to young West Ham fan Isla Caton, who recently passed away.
Sunderland made no attempt to change things at the break – and the one-way trend continued.
The third goal was a work of art. MJ Williams found Gethin Jones on the right and his far post cross was headed back by Afolayan and swept in by Charles.
By this point, Bolton were toying with the visitors. Afolayan and Morley combined again for the fourth, with Lee this time making no mistake to pass the ball into the back of the net.
You could have forgiven the Whites for taking their foot off the gas and concentrating on Tuesday night’s game against Cambridge but still they poured forward.
Sub Amadou Bakayoko put a dangerous cross in from the left, turned into his own net by Danny Batth.
And then to wrap it up, Declan John crashed a sixth goal to complete Bolton’s best home win since putting seven past Swindon in 1997.
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