Any Left Backs out there?

Bolton travel to one of their least happy hunting grounds as they take on Fulham at Craven Cottage. The Wanderers haven`t won there since 1992 when Andy Walker and David Lee got on the score sheet in a 4-1 victory. A similar result would give Sammy Lee`s team a much needed boost, although it would of course be discounted by the press and a significant proportion of Bolton`s fans, both of whom seem obsessed with finding negatives about the club. It`s only the Carling Cup, right?

For Lee, it`s a welcome chance to use some of his inexpensively assembled squad. Daniel Braaten is long overdue a start and Christian Wilhelmsson will feature. Danny Guthrie, a summer loan signing from Liverpool, has performed creditably at reserve level and would give the Whites something they`ve lacked for a long time – a player who can carry the ball through midfield.

In defence there are less options. The return of Gerald Cid will be welcomed, but only by Fulham. Partnering Abdoulaye Meite with Lubomir Michalik seems the obvious centre-back pairing, leaving Andy O`Brien for the vital game at Derby. The left-back position, as ever, poses problems. Ricardo Gardner is short of match practice, but playing him seems risky as he is the only fit, established player available for that position. Now would be a good time to give academy player Scott Jamieson his debut. On the other side, there is a choice between Nicky Hunt, Joey O`Brien and James Sinclair, another academy graduate.

Last season`s defeat at Charlton in the same competition, signalled the start of a losing sequence. Bolton can ill-afford that now. The Carling Cup is seen as a distraction these days, but for the under-fire Bolton manager it could provide a starting point for better things.