Bolton got their campaign under way with a win, taking all three points off Sheffield United.
Jay Spearing’s brilliant strike before the break proved to be the difference.
Most of the first half play probably came from the Blades. A header went wide, while numerous balls were put into the box, but they either went through the corridor of uncertainty, or dispatched with contempt by the central defensive duo of Mark Beevers and David Wheater.
Wanderers seemed to struggle further forward though. Gary Madine was ineffective and lacked an outlet, but Jay Spearing popped up seven minutes before the break with a volley from outside the area.
The hosts finished the half well, then managed to see out the second half. That was despite going down to 10 men at the end after Darren Pratley went down injured in a challenge and ‘heard something crack.’ At that point Bolton had made all three of their changes.
But they held on with a resilience that hadn’t been there often enough in recent years, and Wanderers got their first opening day win since 2011.
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