WANDERERS (3-4-2-1).
LUKE SOUTHWOOD…8.
After a relatively quiet 90 minutes he came up with two big saves to win the penalty shoot-out. The goalkeeping department has made an excellent start to the season.
CHRIS FORINO…6.
You can see he will be a threat at set pieces and while there was a bit of rustiness on the ball, his work was generally sound.
RICARDO SANTOS…6.
Only played half the game but looked in decent touch, bailing Bolton out on a couple of breakaways. Nice and rested for Wrexham.
GEORGE JOHNSTON…6.
Still finding his way back but there were a couple of reminders of his class on the ball and, as ever, didn’t take a backward step against his marker.
JORDI OSEI-TUTU…6.5.
One magnificent challenge at the far post to prevent a tap-in for Quinn and showed plenty of ambition on the ball. Decent debut.
AARON MORLEY…6.
A solid enough hour but with the competition so high in the centre of midfield, Morley might have wanted more from himself.
JAY MATETE…8.5.
Leaving aside the confident penalty, the on-loan Sunderland man looked to be the one Bolton outfield player on the pitch that completely understood the assignment.
RANDELL WILLIAMS…6.
Great to see him back ahead of schedule and lasting 90 minutes. Penalty miss aside, there were some good moments on the ball.
SCOTT ARFIELD…6.
Linked together what little flowing football Bolton managed in the first half and caused a few problems around the penalty box.
JOHN MCATEE…6.
You could hear him – that’s for sure – and with a shoot-on-sight attitude, he looked the most likely to break the deadlock.
VICTOR ADEBOYEJO…7.
Getting comfortable in that number nine role now and held the ball up superbly at times. Should have scored but definitely in good form.
Subs: Toal 6, 46 (for Santos) – Decent second half.
Collins 6, 62 (McAtee) – Plenty of efforts on goal.
Charles 6, 62 (for Arfield) – Linked up well with Collins.
Thomason 6.5, 62 (for Morley) – Magnificent finish, unlucky with the spot kick.
Dacres-Cogley 72 (for Forino) – Filled in as centre-half and scored his pen.
Not used: Coleman, Iredale, Schon, Sheehan.
Mansfield Town (4-2-3-1): Pym; MacDonald, McLaughlin, Flint, G Williams, Boateng, Lewis, Quinn, Nicholls, Swan, Evans.
Subs: Bowery 46 (for Flint), Oshilaja 46 (for McLaughlin), Keilor-Dunn 62 (for Evans), Gregory 62 (for Quinn), Hewitt 79 (for G Williams).
Not used: Flinders, Akins, Baccus, Flanagan.
Referee: Adam Herczeg 6/10 – Kept on top of the game overall but was very lenient after Boateng’s reckless chop on Matete. Booking Ian Evatt for his protests rubbed salt into the wounds a bit.
Attendance: 4,131.
MAN OF THE MATCH – Jay Matete.
Southwood got the headlines with his penalty saves but over 90 minutes Matete’s confident performance in midfield was arguably the most watchable aspect of a poor game. Pretty soon, Ian Evatt is going to have some big decisions to make in the middle of the park.
MOAN OF THE MATCH – You can complain at the clunkiness in possession but with so many changes, was it really so much of a surprise? Letting Mansfield take it to a shootout was the main gripe – Wanderers were cut through far too easily.
MAGIC MOMENT – Southwood’s winning save from Swan’s penalty was a lovely moment on his debut, and a mighty fine save too.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel