Bolton Wanderers (22-02-2014)

Bolton Wanderers 3 – 0 Watford (Championship), 22^nd February 2014

Ticket = £26

Train (Manchester-Horwich Parkway) = £4-20

Tea = £1-80

Hot chocolate = £1

Total = £33

I have barely done any grounds in Lancashire, so figured that this easier trip was worth making on another grey day. Again, utilising the trans-Pennine season ticket meant that the trip was relatively inexpensive, and even the match ticket at £26 was decent for a Championship game. Bolton’s ground is a short walk from Horwich Parkway station, so made a nice change from some I’ve been to this year. On a chilly day, I’d decided to risk leaving the ‘under-armour’ at home, though I came to regret this in the second half! I sat in the front row of the stand which was right next to the Watford end, and looking round, it became obvious how sparsely populated the stadium was. I’d seen an article in When Saturday Comes about Bolton’s recent decline, and today they sat near the lower rungs of the Championship – a far cry from the glory days of Allardyce, and the two Kevins (Nolan and Davies).

The game was better than I expected, with Bolton clearly determined to play passing football in midfield, rather than hoofing it ‘up top’. The pacey Joe Mason was influential throughout the match, and made two surging runs which split open the Watford defence (can we call it the Watford gap?). The away side did force a decent save from Bogdan on 15 minutes, but Bolton took a deserved lead when Jutkiewicz poked in from close range ten minutes before the break. Then Mason made it 2-0 almost bang on half-time, slotting in perfectly when clean through. They’d done well against a side on the fringes of the play-off chasing pack.

At half-time it was easy enough to get a hot drink, but I have to say it was possibly the worst cup of tea I’d had for some time – watery, weak and tasteless. It was more like drinking boiled water with a bit of milk thrown in. In the concourse, as people gathered to check other scores, a group of kids were playing a ferocious game of football with a plastic bottle, with the fire exit door as a goal. The pace was faster than some games I’d seen this year!

I wondered if Watford would improve in the second half, but nothing substantial materialised. Bolton continued to forge chance after chance, hitting a free-kick over on 60 minutes, before an acrobatic overhead kick was saved. Watford’s Murray hit a good shot shortly after, but it was well-held by a Bogdan – a keeper who is solid and reliable in most games. On 75 minutes, Joe Mason was foiled by the away keeper (Almunia) after another fine run, and couldn’t quite add to the Bolton tally. 6 minutes of injury time beckoned as the temperature dropped like a stone. Still no real threat from Watford, and it was no surprise that Bolton wrapped up a 2-0 win. The highlight of the second half was when Watford’s Tözsér lined up to take a throw-in, only to receive calls of ‘tosser’ from the Bolton fans! Back to Horwich Parkway, and after a long half hour standing in the cold, I was glad to get on the warm train back to Manchester.