WHO knows how long this party will last? But right now the table-topping, record-breaking Wanderers should sit back and enjoy the view.
We are just four games into the League One season and, in truth, Phil Parkinson’s side have yet to really hit their stride. But a 100-per-cent record is testament to the fact this side has guts, which counts for a lot.
With Fleetwood leading 1-0 at the break and Wanderers saving their sloppiest football for the last 10 minutes of the half, those oh-so-familiar grumbles accompanied referee Darren England’s half-time whistle. And at that point we really found out something about this team’s character.
They emerged stronger for the second half, got themselves back into the game through Gary Madine and then pushed for a winner, which came six minutes from time courtesy of Josh Vela.
Either side could point at the opposing keeper and claim they made a difference. Mark Howard’s brilliant first-half stop to prevent David Ball from scoring his second spared the Whites even more criticism at the interval. Likewise, Chris Neal performed heroics on a handful of occasions in the second half, not least a trio of saves within 15 seconds of each other from Madine, Kaiyne Woolery and Mark Davies.
This is turning into a weekly war of attrition for Wanderers, thankfully they seem to have the right men in the trenches.
After a hard slog at Bristol Rovers on Wednesday night Parkinson knew this would be the most thorough examination of his players’ credentials to date.
Fleetwood might not be one of English football’s most traditional names but their compact, tidy brand of football was well capable of exploiting any weaknesses which might be on show.
For the first half, Wanderers’ fatigue manifested itself in a frustrating inability to keep hold of the ball. Time and time again promising attacks broke down with a poor final pass, or worse still went into full reverse and ended up with a clearance from Howard or David Wheater.
That said, they should certainly have had a penalty 10 minutes in when Mark Davies was sent sprawling by Victor Nirennold. Inexplicably, referee England booked the midfielder for diving.
Zach Clough, starting his first game of the season, hobbled off after half an hour after feeling a pop in his hamstring. And the sight of the young striker walking down the tunnel seemed to have a demoralising effect on his team-mates.
Within a few minutes, Fleetwood had opened the scoring. Wheater had half-cleared a cross from the left but when Dean Moxey failed to put his foot through the ball, Hunter nipped in and Ball bundled his shot past Howard.
Woolery, on for Clough, had a chance to hit straight back. Played in superbly by Liam Trotter’s slide-rule pass, the pacy youngster’s shot was stifled by onrushing keeper Neal.
Ball should have added a second when Jay Spearing’s tackle inadvertently put him clear on goal but Howard came to Wanderers’ rescue with a great stop.
It all started to unravel in the final few minutes of the half. Madine’s attempted back-heel disrupted one attack and aggravated the fans before some mis-communication with his strike partner Woolery meant another break came to nothing.
It was perhaps Parkinson’s most important team talk of his few months in charge. And in that respect the Whites boss passed muster.
Wanderers were quick out of the blocks as Madine forced Neal into a full-length save with a brilliant header from Lewis Buxton’s cross.
The big striker had to wait so long for his first Bolton goal in the Championship, his excellent work early in the season was forgotten by the time it came around. This time, he is getting some reward for his graft and when Wheater’s header was blocked on the line, Madine was there to scoop the ball into the back of the net for the equaliser.
The Macron woke up at that point and any lingering grumbles were washed away as Wanderers got in the hunt for three points.
Neal had other ideas – making three quick-fire saves to block shots from Woolery, Madine and Davies.
Howard was also in a belligerent mood at the other end, tipping over a vicious shot from Chris Long and another long-ranger from Bobby Grant.
A point would have been given a lukewarm reception. But in a way to which we are becoming quite accustomed now, the Whites found a way to win.
Buxton's cross should have been buried by Woolery but Vela saved his blushes by crashing the ball home at the far post for his second of the season.
Howard didn’t help a nervous and overly-long period of injury time by spilling one cross into the path of Nirennold, whose shot sailed mercifully over the bar.
A collective sigh of relief went out around the Macron at the final whistle as the club’s best start to a season for 82 years went into the record books.
Pretty? No. Effective? Yes. This isn’t the Olympics and Wanderers won’t win any extra points for style and execution.
No one expects a winning streak to go on forever but, just for the record, the 1934-35 team managed an impressive seven wins on the bounce.
Team GB have been exceeding expectations in Rio. Wanderers are doing exactly the same a lot closer to home.
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