WANDERERS have been a difficult team to read in this season of extremes.
Though they toppled records for goals in a calendar year, improved upon their points tally for last season and finished the campaign with the best home record in the division, the last eight months has been far from an unqualified success.
There have been plateaus in form, inconsistency in front of goal, misfortune on the injury front and moments where Ian Evatt’s side just failed to turn up.
The play-offs represent an opportunity to add another few highs and make sure Wanderers are playing Championship football next term for the first time since 2019.
We picked out seven ups, and seven downs that have best summed up the last eight months.
Cogs in the machine ⬆️
Who would have thought when Liverpool loanee Conor Bradley walked off the pitch in tears at Oakwell after last season’s unsuccessful play-off semi-final that his replacement would come on a free transfer from League Two Tranmere Rovers.
Josh Dacres-Cogley had proven a hit for Wanderers’ recruitment team, playing more than 63 solid hours of football this season and contributing three goals and five assists along the way.
Voted into the League One Team of the Year, he more than validated the decision to ditch a move for Bristol City’s Kane Wilson.
By George, he’s staying! ⬆️
The only player to pre-date Ian Evatt’s time at the club, Thomason had already come on leaps and bounds to make a case for regular first team inclusion. Nevertheless, it came as some surprise at the time that Championship Bristol City had tabled a £1million bid for him as a replacement for £25m Bournemouth bound Alex Scott.
Fans were split on the valuation, but the club left the decision to the young midfielder. He chose to stay and help the promotion effort – and now several months and a contract extension later, his price tag has increased significantly.
Enter Maghoma ⬆️
It took a stroke of luck to get Paris Maghoma firing at Bolton. A mistake from Wycombe keeper Max Stryjek gave the on-loan Brentford midfielder his first goal after returning from a thigh injury and from there, he never looked back.
Wanderers made their fans suffer, losing a two-goal lead, but eventually recorded their first-ever win at Adams Park thanks to a late header from Eoin Toal and a penalty from Aaron Morley.
Grecian earned ⬆️
Wanderers hadn’t scored seven in a league game since Colin Todd’s promotion-winners hammered Swindon Town in 1997 and left Wiltshire Sound commentator Stuart Mac in tears.
Emotions got the better of Dan Nlundulu here too as he scored his first league goal of the season – and Bolton’s seventh of the day – in the biggest league win since the stadium had been built.
Dion Charles scored a double alongside goals from Jack Iredale, Victor Adeboyejo, Paris Maghoma and Kyle Dempsey as Wanderers recorded a most emphatic victory.
Kyle’s comeback ⬆️
Having come through the ranks at Carlisle, Kyle Dempsey felt aggrieved that he should be getting dog’s abuse on his return to Brunton Park.
Much of the reaction stemmed back to the 28-year-old’s conviction for assault after an incident in nearby Maryport two years ago – which landed him with a 12-month suspended sentence after a hearing last March.
Dempsey felt he had paid his dues, however, and the barracking helped inspire him to a fine individual performance – scoring along with Zac Ashworth, Paris Maghoma and debutant Nat Ogbeta on the scoresheet in one of Bolton’s best away days of the season.
It’s not about the money ⬆️
Aaron Collins arrived with a hefty £750,000 price tag, Bolton’s most expensive player in a decade, and had been dropped straight into the action after a succession of injuries to his fellow strikers.
The pressure was on – but his delightful hat-trick against Reading hinted at the talent into which Bolton had invested.
Ready for our close-up ⬆️
The TV cameras were at the Toughsheet to see Wanderers tear through play-off chasing Oxford United with no mercy and five different goal-scorers on the day.
Nat Ogbeta, Josh Dacres-Cogley, George Thomason, Aaron Collins and Josh Sheehan bagged goals on a night which seemed to underline Bolton’s billing as automatic promotion contenders.
A sign of things to come ⬇️
Wanderers have suffered injuries at some key points of the season, stemming right back to their first pre-season friendly at non-league Bamber Bridge when they lost one of their most instrumental defenders, George Johnston, to a torn cruciate ligament.
Johnston had been one of the mainstays of a back three which had kept a record number of clean sheets a year earlier and one wonders what impact he could have had on the current campaign?
Change the channel ⬇️
Wanderers – on an 11-game unbeaten run – had dropped off top spot in League One with a 0-0 draw at Oxford but hoped to return to the summit with a win against fellow promotion wannabes Portsmouth at Fratton Park, live on Sky Sports.
Things were going well enough until a glaring miss from Dion Charles just before half time. A couple of minutes later Connor Shaughnessy had headed Pompey into the lead.
Bolton looked bereft of ideas in the second half and Kusini Yengi grabbed a second goal to put John Mousinho’s side six points clear. They never relinquished that lead.
Double disappointment ⬇️
If you could replay just a few days in Bolton’s season and start them again from fresh it would be February 24 to 27, taking in away games at Blackpool and Wigan Athletic.
The woeful record at Bloomfield Road continued despite dominating the early stages and going ahead through George Thomason. Sloppy defending let Blackpool establish a lead, built upon after a ridiculous red card given to Ricardo Santos by referee Josh Smith – later revoked by the FA.
Redemption at Wigan a few days later looked possible as Wanderers peppered the home goal but with keeper Sam Tickle in fine form, one aberration at the back allowed Stephen Humphrys to score the decisive goal.
Tragedy strikes ⬇️
Wanderers’ home game against Cheltenham Town on January 13 was abandoned after a medical emergency in the crowd.
Iain Purslow, a retired police officer, had been watching the game with his son when he went into cardiac arrest 29 minutes into the match.
Players left the field as volunteers and paramedics administered CPR at the scene but it was later announced he had passed away.
The game was replayed 10 days later with poignant tributes offered by both clubs.
Pain in the rain ⬇️
Wanderers warmed up on a wet but playable pitch at Cambridge United not knowing what was in store once the referee blew the whistle.
A torrential storm hit almost as soon as the game began, rendering the playing surface completely waterlogged. The game was abandoned after just nine minutes.
To make matters worse, goalkeeper Nathan Baxter had patched himself up after picking up a wrist injury in the previous game against Barnsley. The injury was aggravated, and the former Chelsea man would not been seen again for several weeks.
Joel Coleman stepped in manfully as reserve keeper, but his lack of game time showed in his early performances and Bolton lost crucial ground on the automatic promotion spots.
Running out of chances ⬇️
If any defeat summed up the frustration of Wanderers’ season, it was the one inflicted by Derby County at Pride Park on March 16.
A game largely dominated by Bolton, who created a string of good chances without ever managing to beat Rams keeper Joe Wildsmith, given away by some sloppy defending at a set piece 12 minutes before the end.
Considering the fine margin that Wanderers missed out on in the end, even a point would have been a valid one.
One final blow ⬇️
Everyone was praying for a miracle on the last day - but no sooner had Wanderers stormed into the lead at Peterborough, Derby went one up against Carlisle United. From there, the rest was inevtable.
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