There are just five games to go now for Bolton this season – well, hopefully five.
Tuesday was massive, as we said, not just because of the fact we beat Salford, which was an achievement in its own right, but also as we made another giant stride towards automatic promotion. Tomorrow we have a different type of away test, Grimsby are fighting for their EFL lives, they’ll be belligerent and we’ll have to try and break them down. But there is a sequence of results over the next 24 hours that could culminate in us winning and going top of the league. If you’re reading this after a theoretical Cheltenham win on Friday night, then discard that bit…
More crucial is the prospect of being seven points clear of fourth. Imagine that!
IAN EVATT | Manager ahead of Grimsby Town away fixture – YouTube
Team news
It should be a case of ‘as you were’ – whether Ian Evatt is tempted to take out George Thomason, not because he’s done anything wrong, just to put Nathan Delfouneso in a sort of second striker role is the one probable question mark. Otherwise you aren’t changing anything.
Previously
Bolton’s last trip to Blundell Park was a Tuesday night trip in September 2000, Michael Ricketts scored the only goal of the game in the second half. We went up that season…
The opposition
It’s looking bleak for Grimsby, while they do have a game in hand they are seven points adrift of safety with six matches remaining. They are picking up points of late, after Ian Holloway was replaced by returning boss Paul Hurst, but those points are coming more in ones than threes. They have had two ex-Wanderers on their books this season but neither will be involved tomorrow – Filipe Morais was headbutted by his team mate last weekend after an incident and won’t play for the club again. Joe Bunney signed recently but played just five times before leaving the club, with an unspecified medical condition, which is sad to hear.
Prediction
Grimsby are bottom but it will be tougher than that – they’ve managed draws at home against Cheltenham and Tranmere in recent weeks and have lost just one of their last five. They’ll fight, sometimes literally, and don’t concede too many. I can however, seeing us finding a way through, as it was 21 years ago, a 1-0 Bolton win is my tip.