Post by davidm on Nov 4, 2017 19:18:02 GMT
What a strange game.
The first 30 minutes were an embarrassment. Norwich passed the ball about at will. Our midfield was totally absent as they just ran through us. But, and it is a big but, they couldn’t score. Jerome missed an absolute sitter from 10 yards out and Alnwick blocked a couple but for all their possession, which was a very high percentage, Norwich made pretty patterns without hurting us.
In all this time, all we had was a couple of corners and a complete miskick from Wheater to show for us.
Then on about 30 minutes it all changed.
We started to press the Norwich players and stopped them passing at will. We had a couple of attacks and Ameobi fired just wide and the whole stadium atmosphere changed.
We were suddenly on top.
Pratley then performed a bit of brilliant football (I need to reread what I have just written but yes it was brilliant). He broke on the right, ran past a couple of Norwich players and somehow got the ball over from a difficult angle for Madine to get his foot on and put it in the corner. Amazing really as we had hardly been in the game up to then.
That pressure soon turned into a 2 goal lead as Ameobi and Little broke on the right and played the ball back to Madine on the edge of the area who set up Armstrong for a rocket shot which hit the post. Earlier in the season the ball would have hit the post and bounced out but this one bounced in for a 2-0 lead.
Second half reverted back to type with Norwich having most of the ball.
We did have more attacks though but they all came to nought mainly due to some ridiculous attempts to score from long distance.
We got caught defensively with our lack of pace on a couple of occasions when long balls out of defence caught us. The first occasion left the Norwich man clean through. Alnwick came out and did well to block but the ball bounced on past him only for the Norwich forward to somehow side foot it wide. A very lucky escape.
The referee, who in the second half decided to go against us endlessly, somehow refused Ameobi a penalty which looked a good shout to me. How many men did that ref book?
Still we looked comfortable at 2-0 but we are Bolton Wanderers and we have to concede. Norwich broke down the left and somehow the guy got round Little to rocket home a goal with 2 minutes of injury time left.
Panic stations then but we somehow held on.
As I said, a strange game. We desperately need to somehow hold on to the ball in midfield and keep some possession as the games become one way traffic which makes it hard to get wins. 33% possession at home is abysmal.
But we got a win so well done.
Alnwick - 7 Very steady. Made a couple of decent saves. Caught the ball well.
Little - 6 Bit suspect for the late Norwich goal. Otherwise fine with the plus of a couple decent runs, including a good run for the second goal.
Wheater - 6
Caught by a long ball in the second half where his lack of pace nearly did us.
Beevers - 6 A bit like Wheater, his lack of pace caught us a couple of times but otherwise solid.
Robinson - 6 A mixture of excellence and also being caught in possession but still a decent performance.
Henry - 6 Some stray passes but a good organiser.
Pratley - 6 A point for his input into the first goal. Otherwise his usual headless chicken game.
Ameobi - 7 His ability to dribble in tight spaces was impressive. He scared the opposition.
Armstrong - 6 Looked lost for the first 40 minutes but a cracking shot for what turned out to be the winner.
Vela - 5 I don’t think he has got up to speed yet. Credit to him though because the change in the game was helped by his harrying of the opposition.
Madine - 6 Nice goal. Still on his own too much so his work to get onto high balls does not produce much.
Buckley - 5 A couple of good centres but also he lost the balls too often.
The first 30 minutes were an embarrassment. Norwich passed the ball about at will. Our midfield was totally absent as they just ran through us. But, and it is a big but, they couldn’t score. Jerome missed an absolute sitter from 10 yards out and Alnwick blocked a couple but for all their possession, which was a very high percentage, Norwich made pretty patterns without hurting us.
In all this time, all we had was a couple of corners and a complete miskick from Wheater to show for us.
Then on about 30 minutes it all changed.
We started to press the Norwich players and stopped them passing at will. We had a couple of attacks and Ameobi fired just wide and the whole stadium atmosphere changed.
We were suddenly on top.
Pratley then performed a bit of brilliant football (I need to reread what I have just written but yes it was brilliant). He broke on the right, ran past a couple of Norwich players and somehow got the ball over from a difficult angle for Madine to get his foot on and put it in the corner. Amazing really as we had hardly been in the game up to then.
That pressure soon turned into a 2 goal lead as Ameobi and Little broke on the right and played the ball back to Madine on the edge of the area who set up Armstrong for a rocket shot which hit the post. Earlier in the season the ball would have hit the post and bounced out but this one bounced in for a 2-0 lead.
Second half reverted back to type with Norwich having most of the ball.
We did have more attacks though but they all came to nought mainly due to some ridiculous attempts to score from long distance.
We got caught defensively with our lack of pace on a couple of occasions when long balls out of defence caught us. The first occasion left the Norwich man clean through. Alnwick came out and did well to block but the ball bounced on past him only for the Norwich forward to somehow side foot it wide. A very lucky escape.
The referee, who in the second half decided to go against us endlessly, somehow refused Ameobi a penalty which looked a good shout to me. How many men did that ref book?
Still we looked comfortable at 2-0 but we are Bolton Wanderers and we have to concede. Norwich broke down the left and somehow the guy got round Little to rocket home a goal with 2 minutes of injury time left.
Panic stations then but we somehow held on.
As I said, a strange game. We desperately need to somehow hold on to the ball in midfield and keep some possession as the games become one way traffic which makes it hard to get wins. 33% possession at home is abysmal.
But we got a win so well done.
Alnwick - 7 Very steady. Made a couple of decent saves. Caught the ball well.
Little - 6 Bit suspect for the late Norwich goal. Otherwise fine with the plus of a couple decent runs, including a good run for the second goal.
Wheater - 6
Caught by a long ball in the second half where his lack of pace nearly did us.
Beevers - 6 A bit like Wheater, his lack of pace caught us a couple of times but otherwise solid.
Robinson - 6 A mixture of excellence and also being caught in possession but still a decent performance.
Henry - 6 Some stray passes but a good organiser.
Pratley - 6 A point for his input into the first goal. Otherwise his usual headless chicken game.
Ameobi - 7 His ability to dribble in tight spaces was impressive. He scared the opposition.
Armstrong - 6 Looked lost for the first 40 minutes but a cracking shot for what turned out to be the winner.
Vela - 5 I don’t think he has got up to speed yet. Credit to him though because the change in the game was helped by his harrying of the opposition.
Madine - 6 Nice goal. Still on his own too much so his work to get onto high balls does not produce much.
Buckley - 5 A couple of good centres but also he lost the balls too often.