The Bad #3
Bolton Wanderers…2 Blackpool…2
4th May 2013
When you need a win to sneak in to the play-offs a fixture against a mid-table side with nothing to play for is what the doctor usually orders. What Bolton got in 2013 was a derby match against a side bearing a perennial grudge.
Ask Blackpool fans who their chief rivals are and they’ll often list Preston North End at number one with Bolton at number two. It’s a Lancashire rivalry that Bolton fans acknowledge but no longer really reciprocate to any degree. When Dougie Freedman’s Wanderers surged towards the play-offs in 2012/13, Blackpool at home was therefore an unwelcome final match.
The season up to late Winter had actually been really poor. After being dumped out of the Premier League the year before, BWFC had struggled to come to terms with Championship football and Owen Coyle paid the price when he was sacked as manager. Crystal Palace’s Dougie Freedman was his replacement. It took a few months for him to have an impact but a string of wins in Spring took Bolton in to serious play-off contention.
With the final day approaching tickets were selling like hot cakes. Bolton were in competition with Leicester for that final play-off spot and the whole scenario had a late 1990s feel reflecting the days when Colin Todd and Big Sam grappled with play-off tension to try to get Bolton back in to the top flight.
“In the space of sixty seconds before half-time despair turned to joy as a Chris Eagles blockbuster was followed by a deflected Craig Davies effort to make it 2-2.”
When the team-sheets landed, the large numbers of Bolton fans in attendance were somewhat perplexed. Winger Rob Hall was to make a rare appearance in what seemed something of an eccentric selection. At kick-off a vocal away end willed their team on to upset their second most hated rivals while nerves ripped through the home ends. This clearly transmitted itself on to the pitch as Gary Taylor Fletcher and Ludovic Sylvestre put the Seasiders two goals up by the 35th minute – this despite Bolton dominating the game.
In the space of sixty seconds before half-time despair turned to joy as a Chris Eagles blockbuster was followed by a deflected Craig Davies effort to make it 2-2. It was a stunning comeback and the East Stand Lower rammed the mirth of the away fans back down their throats.
The 24,000 fans anticipated an all-out attacking display in the second half to snaffle that last play-off spot and with all not going to plan for Leicester in their fixture at Forest it looked “on”. However strange substitutions and missed chances meant that hope gradually turned to frustration. One Lee Chung-Yong chance in particular should have been converted but hit the side-netting and bounced to safety.
When Freedman replaced our war-horse Kevin Davies with inexperienced Tom Eaves the fans were bemused and by the final few minutes it was Blackpool who suddenly looked the likelier to score. With Leicester now ahead at Forest, Bolton’s hopes were diminishing by the second and the gloating from the away suppport was clearly audible.
At full time there was silence and then polite applause. Deep down though there was serious disappointment and a slight concern about what the future of the club would hold. At the start of 2012/13 we hoped for a dominant season and a cake-walk back to the Prem. What we got was the opening chapter of a startling decline.