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A match totally overshadowed by two bad injuries to City players.First Gunnar Neilson with what looked like a broken leg after a collision I think with Ryan McGivern. Long long delay and his leg in a cast when he left the field taking in oxygen.He was still on oxygen when he was waiting for the ambulance early in the 2nd half.That's when the 2nd one happened and it was Tom Smith who had come on as substitute. It seemed innocuous from what I saw as Tom made a tackle.He might have caught his studs or something but it was another long delay and stretchered off.

As for the game it was as bad a game as I can recall seeing for a long time.Bolton were quite a strong athletic side and gave no room at all. Consequently we were hitting too many long balls, loads straight from Gunnar and all he had to aim were Nimely,Mancini and McDermott none of whom are big or can head a ball! Having said that Bolton did little either but it was a long ball break which caused the problem in which Gunnar got his injury. Sadly it was him that made the mistake for me as the centre forward running at the corner of the box who cut in and Gunnar misread it.He should have said thank you and collected the ball but he was on thr back foot and went for it very late.The collision with 3 players involved was inside the 6 yard box!

Gunnar badly injured but Ryan also off at the same time.Johansen took over in goal and Tom Smith( later off injured himself) came on and Scott Kay went to center back. Bolton scored from the spot.Then Smith was roasted at full back for a 2nd goal and the 3rd in quick succession came as they broke down the inside right channell and fed the centre forward who had left Kay somewhere.

Anyway what of City. The long ball was a nonsense as we had Michael Johnson and Assulin in midfield and they can both play.Mostly they were bypassed although there a couple of lovely short passes from MJ and a couple of promising runs from Gai. McDermott ran it nothing much of the time and Mancini was a passenger. At least that's what I thought and then in the 55th minute of the first half he threaded a good ball to Nimley who scored very well. Nimley worked his socks off and deserved this.

3.1 at half time and I feared the worst when Smith got injured and Bunn took his place but to be fair to them they worked hard and kept Bolton out against the odds. Veseli at centre half is an under 18 and had a good game(apart from some of his distribution)against Kevin Davies.Yes they have a younger version coming through.Chantler and Logan worked hard and it was funny watching Logan at times when Davies went over to his side as it was David and Goliath but he stood his ground well.Scott Kay I thought was lost trying to cover at center back but he had been struggling as defensive midfield before that.

Then from almsot nowhere McDermott from the left wing actually crossed a good low ball and Mancini sidefooted it home in a crowded area.A goal and an assist should not disguise he wasnt very good on the night.We even got close to an equaliser as well but it wasnt to be but only losing 3.2 against a strong Bolton side with a very young side wasnt too bad.

Overall MJ was ok and lasted the 90 minutes but although he clearly has a touch still he never really got hold of the midfield as you might hope. Assulin to me is a player but as with MJ wasnt as dominant a player as might have been hoped.Credit to Bolton for that although I thought they fouled a hell of a lot and the ref was crap.GA did look very very good at times running with the ball and I could see how he could do it at first team level as well.

Thanks Doug great report. Did MJ and GA both play the 90? How match fit did either/ both look?

Thanks Doug, always a good read.

All about game time for MJ, nice to hear he got 90 and that Gai was looking the part even if Boltscum sound much like the senior team.

blues2win wrote:Thanks Doug great report. Did MJ and GA both play the 90? How match fit did either/ both look?

I don't think fitness looked a problem, hope not anyway.

Cheers for the report. Sounds like a horror show. Good luck to Nielson and Smith. Thank God the usual suspect wasn't also injured, at least.

Crossie wrote:Thanks Doug, always a good read.

All about game time for MJ, nice to hear he got 90 and that Gai was looking the part even if Boltscum sound much like the senior team.

Wouldnt say Bolton were older/more senior but definitely stronger and a bit more physical .Chatting with a Bolton fella he said Coyle seems to have really revamped the reserves after the initial few months.Got rid of quite a few and changed a few things so after a crap start they are now getting very good results. I think he said they bought their Kevin Davies replica from Oldham for a few hundred thousand.

Douglas Higginbottom wrote:

Crossie wrote:Thanks Doug, always a good read.

All about game time for MJ, nice to hear he got 90 and that Gai was looking the part even if Boltscum sound much like the senior team.

Wouldnt say Bolton were older/more senior but definitely stronger and a bit more physical .Chatting with a Bolton fella he said Coyle seems to have really revamped the reserves after the initial few months.Got rid of quite a few and changed a few things so after a crap start they are now getting very good results. I think he said they bought their Kevin Davies replica from Oldham for a few hundred thousand.

Does Coyle still turn out for em now and again?

uwes_skyblue_duvet wrote:

Douglas Higginbottom wrote:

Crossie wrote:Thanks Doug, always a good read.

All about game time for MJ, nice to hear he got 90 and that Gai was looking the part even if Boltscum sound much like the senior team.

Wouldnt say Bolton were older/more senior but definitely stronger and a bit more physical .Chatting with a Bolton fella he said Coyle seems to have really revamped the reserves after the initial few months.Got rid of quite a few and changed a few things so after a crap start they are now getting very good results. I think he said they bought their Kevin Davies replica from Oldham for a few hundred thousand.

Does Coyle still turn out for em now and again?

I think he did once.

Not to hijack or anything, but I also went along tonight and agree with everything that Doug has said. GA to me really looked a cut above most of them, and I was also impressed by McDermott, just wish he'd get his head up sometimes because he had a tendency to keep running when there was a simple pass on.

thegoatfeeder wrote:Not to hijack or anything, but I also went along tonight and agree with everything that Doug has said. GA to me really looked a cut above most of them, and I was also impressed by McDermott, just wish he'd get his head up sometimes because he had a tendency to keep running when there was a simple pass on.

That's it with McDermott.He has real skill and pace running with the ball but just so rarely has an end product.For me he should play wholly as a left winger and basked to do a little less tricky stuff but enough to get past the full back or at least the space to pss/cross.The time he did it for our second goal being a good example.