Match Day Thread Bolton Wanderersv PNE @ The Macron 3/3/2018

Off to beautiful downtown Horwich on what is likely to be a winter wonderland in the adjoining hills, think they have undersoil heating at the ground but those pesky surrounds may be the problem after this Emma lass drops her load on the entire country either today or tomorrow.
An interesting game against opponents who we don't have a really have a good record against although we did beat them last time in Horwich 2-1 even Doyle scored in that one.
Wanderers shifted out Madine top scorer for 6 million in the transfer window mainly because they need the cash hence the £30-£35 tickets visiting fans have to shell out, bobbing rastards seems to be the phrase for that one. Squad wise Le Fondre is likely to score occasionally and Zach Clough on loan from the Trees is decent but they will probably be without Vela and Little is still suspended but given their predicament near the nether regions of the league they will be scrapping for points and will not prove to be easy opponents.The
Johnson back training after head injury against Wolves, Maguire getting closer, Fisher still suspended back on Tuesday. Personal view Harrop to start, still issues with right back spot should have started with Cunningham and Earl last week. Expect a far better performance than last week let's face it can't be any worse than the Ipswich game which brings me to a slight rant.
Social media is wonderful it gives everyone a platform to air their views, freedom on speech etc. however the grief some of the players got last week was unacceptable especially the stick given to Louis Moult. The service he got last week was abysmal he is a different type of player to the departed Hugill, more of a ball to feet player rather than someone waiting for one two with passes aimed at the moon, give the guy a chance he has played two games.
Secondly complaining about not using Hugill's fee to invest. Wolves game there were 13000 home fans on, two decent results against Wolves and Villa and what happens home support down to 11000, we've always been a selling club and always will be because some fans only turn up for the bigger games.


Ref Watch: Bolton Wanderers

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this Saturday’s match official, for the Gentry Day trip to face Bolton Wanderers at the Macron Stadium, is taking charge of his fourth PNE match of 2017/18.
The referee is Peter Bankes, who took charge both of the last two seasons’ clashes with Aston Villa at Deepdale and our FA Cup third round victory over Gareth Ainsworth’s Wycombe Wanderers at Adams Park back in January and the 1-1 draw with Barnsley in September.

The first of the aforementioned games against Villa, were his first of two North End games in 2016/17, also officiating the game against Leeds United at Elland Road in April 2017.

Last season’s clash with the Villans was his third visit to Deepdale as a referee. His first was the 2014/15 season’s 3-2 home win over Port Vale in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy and then in 2015/16 season he was here for the last game of 2015, when we defeated Hull City 1-0 just after Christmas.

This is his fourth year on the EFL referee’s list and his second year in the Select Group Two, and he also took charge of our win at Chesterfield in February 2015, when Joe Garner scored twice on his return from a period out injured.
This will be his second trip to the Macron Stadium in six weeks, having officiated their 1-1 draw against Ipswich Town in January. That was one of his 32 games so far this season, where he has issued 109 cautions and eight red cards. His last game was last weekend’s 2-0 victory for Fulham at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The assistants on Saturday afternoon will be Tim Wood and Mark Dwyer, with Oliver Langford acting as fourth official.
Stat Attack: Bolton Wanderers

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Whilst all 61 of our home league games have been at Deepdale, our hosts today have lived up to their name by receiving us at three different grounds since we first visited Pikes Lane in November 1888.

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We played seven league games there, winning five and losing twice, before Bolton moved to Burnden Park in 1895.

We faced each other there for almost 100 years, from our first visit in March 1896 to our last in May 1993. This is only our third trip to Horwich, with each club having recorded a win so far.

The Trotters are one of seven clubs we have met more than 100 times in the various levels of the Football League, with only Burnley (126) having played us more than the 121 times to date we have faced Bolton.
Honours are pretty even at Bolton’s various homes, with 26 victories for our hosts and 21 for the Lilywhites, with 13 draws so far, whilst goals scored are not too different either, 86 scored by North End and 95 conceded.

Both clubs have recorded some big wins in this fixture, with our first two trips to Pikes Lane seeing us come out on top by 5-2 and then 6-2 and we have scored four goals on three other occasions. On the flip side, our heaviest defeat was by 6-1 in 1924 and we conceded five in both 1948 and 1964, whilst Wanderers can match our three instances of scoring four times in a home match against us.

One of the most famous recent matches came almost 25 years ago, on what turned out to be our last ever visit to Burnden Park.

We ended a season in which we had three separate managers by managing to snatch relegation from a position of comparative safety at the beginning of April, as four consecutive defeats left us needing the points from our final game at Bolton. Sadly, it was not to be, as John McGinlay’s 74th minute penalty secured a 1-0 win and condemned us to relegation when just one victory from our final five matches would have kept us up. The match passed into North End folklore when Gareth Ainsworth came over to thanks the fans at the end, the image of his face covered in floods of tears epitomising his connection with North Enders everywhere.

Numerous players have made the short journey between Preston and Bolton over the years, many of them noted goalscorers such as John Thomas, David Reeves, Tony Philliskirk, Steve Elliott and Wayne Foster.
At the other end of the pitch, Simon Farnworth and Andy Lonergan have played being defenders including Tyrone Mears, Alex Baptiste, Mick Bennett and Gary Parkinson. Sam Allardyce has a special place in the history of both clubs, having spent two separate spells with each before going on to manage both clubs.

Indeed he had been caretaker manager at Deepdale earlier in the season that ended in ‘Gareth’s match’ before finding fame during his time in charge of Wanderers.

On This Date
We have only played nine previous league games away from Deepdale on this date, winning three of them.

In the first of these games, we overcame Wolves 3-2 at Molineux in 1906, our goals coming from England internationals Percy Smith and Dicky Bond as well as a strike from Jack Bell.

It was to be another 45 years before we played away again on this date and we again emerged victorious, this time by a 3-0 scoreline at Elland Road. Tom Finney, Charlie Wayman and Ken Horton were our goalscorers that day in front of a crowd of over 42,000.

Our most recent win on this date was in 2001, David Healy’s goal and a Graham Alexander penalty in the first 25 minutes clinching the points away at Crystal Palace on the way to the Play-Offs.

Right back Hugh Dunn made his North End debut in a home win over West Bromwich Albion today in 1894. Signed from Johnstone in Scotland, a junior side not to be confused with the more famous St Johnstone. Over the next seven seasons, he established himself as a regular in the Lilywhites defence, making 181 appearances in all. This included our ‘Test Match’ against Notts County in 1894 to determine whether we kept our first division place or if we gave it up to our opponents, in an early version of the Play-Offs.

Two team-mates from the 1980s and 1990s made their last appearances for North End in the same game 26 years ago today.

Alan Kelly junior had followed his father in keeping goal for North End, making his debut as a 17-year-old in 1986. He overcame a freak broken leg, which he then broke again in his comeback game, to establish himself as a top class goalkeeper. He left for Sheffield United in 1992 before eventually returning to his hometown club as goalkeeping coach on two separate occasions, his second spell ending earlier this season.

Playing in front of Kells in that 4-1 defeat at Exeter City was Garry Swann, who was featured in our Hull City feature. Swanny left for hometown club York City that summer after being a regular goalscorer for North End from both midfield and full back positions.

Last Five Games at Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers 1 (Trotter) Preston North End 2 (Hugill, Doyle), 12th March 2016
Bolton Wanderers 2 (Rankin, Ricketts) Preston North End 0, 26th August 2000
Bolton Wanderers 1 (McGinlay (pen)) Preston North End 0, 8th May 1993
Bolton Wanderers 1 (Darby) Preston North End 0, 23rd November 1991
Bolton Wanderers 1 (Reeves) Preston North End 2 (James, Bogie (pen)), 18th September 1990

 

I think your rant against the few that insulted Louis Moult is bang on. This player has come to a team whose manager is trying to change the style of play form the one most of the players have been used to under the previous manager. At times they click and at other times they don't. We have seen this with all the Premiership teams. Even Guardiola found it difficult last year to stamp his style of football on City and now look at 'em. Moult is part of the manager's plan. The manager also went for two players during the transfer period, and I suppose they are the type to introduce a new style of playing. Over the past two seasons pundits have picked NE to be relegated. The previous and current manager have shut them up. The team havve secured safety which for an under-supported team is a priority. As a young lad, I remember watching Finney, Docherty, Cunningham, Baxter, Else, Daggers, and company and still there were gobby know-alls not satisfied. NE may beat Barca 0 - 5 at their place and still they would gob off!

 

Garner struggled early on as well, can't please them all

 

You will need a flask of something like my Mother's matchday coffee: Maudland brandy with some coffee in it. That would warm the cockles of your heart, and feeet and tips of your fingers! Sometimes she would get it from Yate's selling out shop.

 

Winning 3-1 ain't a bad warmer either.

Bolton Wanderers 1 Beevers Preston North End 3 Barkhuizen, Maguire 2

Bolton: Alnwick, Dervite, Wheater, Beevers, Morais, Vela, Karacan (Kirchhoff 64), Pratley, Robinson, Walker (Le Fondre 64), Ameobi. Subs (not used): Taylor, Wilbraham, Burke, Clough, Howard.
PNE: Rudd, Woods (Harrop 69), Huntington, Davies, Cunningham, Pearson, Gallagher (Earl 89), Bodin (Maguire 65), Browne, Barkhuizen, Robinson. Subs (not used): Johnson, Spurr, Moult, Maxwell.
Referee: Peter Bankes (Merseyside)
Attendance: 18,141 (3,947 PNE)

As with last time on Gentry Day at the Macron let the hosts lead at half time, then lob on a substitute to finish them off, Doyle now Maguire. Although behind at half time was never worried and so it proved and in the end thought we ran out comfy winners.
Mass away support for the traditional homage to the departed day. We started well twice Bodin getting into good positiions, but was Wanderers who took the lead, inswinging corner was not dealt with and Beevers put them ahead, could have been two minutes later, another corner more panic just about got it cleared. Vela also got in down the left advanced towards goal cross across face of goal again slightly lucky to clear it and with that Wanderers disappeared as a threat and it was a yellow wave that took over. Dominated the ball for the rest of the half however a well organised home defence kept us out and Alnwick wasn't really threatened with anything to do.
With no big lad to hammer it forward too, we were causing them problems by our faster forwards against their rather tall but ponderous defence.
Attacking our support in the second half we started well and were soon level, Robinson inch perfect pass to Barkhuizen curled the ball round the keeper. All us as we started to pass the ball about with some style and then on to the pitch came Maguire for his first appearance for four months and he was soon to make an impact. Wanderers never fully cleared a corner, Robinson down the left, the ball fell well for Maguire 2-1. Robinson was unlucky with an effort that went narrowly over the top. Bolton had a brief period of pressure forcing Rudd to dive at someone's feet however excellent work by Harrop and Barkhuizen set up another chance for Maguire six yards out, didn't miss and all that was left was to wave goodbye to Wanderers fans as they departed in droves.
Big week coming up with Brizzle and Fulham at home, still in the mix.

Maguire goal

Bolton Wanderers manager Phil Parkinson told BBC Radio Manchester:

"Our home form has been good over a long period but today we have to hold our hands up and say we got beaten by a better side.

"In the first half, in patches, I thought we did all right and had some decent moments but so did they. In the second half we didn't cope with Preston's attacking play.

"They're a good side, up and around the play-offs. We looked disjointed in the second half and sometimes you've got to hold your hands up and say 'we didn't do enough and got beaten by the better side'."

Preston North End manager Alex Neil told BBC Radio Lancashire:

"I'm delighted. I think local derbies are something that fans and everybody connected with both clubs wants to win.

"There aren't many derbies for us this season because Blackpool and Blackburn aren't in our league so it was a big game.

"We're at a point where we need to get back on track. We have 11 games remaining and we need to give ourselves an opportunity to stake a challenge to have a successful season at the top end."