Bolton continued their unbeaten start to the season and moved up to seventh in the early League One table as they came from behind to beat Oxford 2-1.
It was a largely even but end to end game, between two decent footballing sides. Oxford would strike first, Matty Taylor’s basketball skills allowing him to get down the court, sorry, pitch, and once he was away from Joel Dixon, he had the easiest of tap-ins. Oxford were the better team in the first half, but, like we’ve done in a few games now, we were able to improve after the break. We were even more than helped before the break, as Dapo Afolayan’s long range shot went in, giving us a foothold in the game when it may otherwise not have come.
The second half would see the winner, and it was encouraging to see it coming from a set-piece. Josh Sheehan put in the corner and Eoin Doyle’s header across goal went in. From there, we seemed to settle down a bit and manage the game a bit more, Declan John was withdrawn, Alex Baptiste came into the middle and George Johnston went to cover at left-back, which helped stem the flow of Oxford attacks. Still they had chances though, an absolute sitter missed by Gavin Whyte. Whether it’s because of new combinations or something else, the defence still seems as though it’s a work in progress.
But it’s a second win in a week, and still unbeaten. A great start to the season.