Bolton Match Zone

Bolton To Play In Front Of Fans For The First Time Since March

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After back-to-back defeats Bolton face a tough task tomorrow to avoid a hat-trick, as they take on Cheltenham at the ground probably better known as Whaddon Road.

They won’t be our fans, but for the first time since March 10th we’ll play in front of a crowd of some sorts – Cheltenham is a Tier 2 area. They’ll be opposition fans, but it’ll be interesting to see how our players respond to that dynamic all the same.

IAN EVATT | Head Coach ahead of Cheltenham Town away fixture – YouTube

Team news

Lloyd Isgrove will be available after testing negative for coronavirus, but Peter Kioso and Arthur Gnahoua will both miss the trip due to shoulder injuries.

Previously…

Our last trip to Cheltenham was in November 2016, when we played them in a decisive EFL Trophy game, if such a thing is even possible. We exited the competition that night, Amari Morgan-Smith scoring a stoppage time penalty as we lost 1-0. Elsewhere in the world, Donald Trump was elected president hours later.

The opposition

Play-off semi-finalists in the summer, Cheltenham would have been eyeing promotion this season and currently sit second. Ian Evatt has rightly raised the issue of their long throws, possibly even a thinly veiled warning at our own players to do some marking at set-pieces, but they can play a bit too. Ex-Burnley defender Michael Duff is their boss, Andy Williams is their top scorer with five goals, so he’s probably the one Wanderers shouldn’t take their eyes off.

Prediction

We’ve got results when we’ve had to go away to a difficult looking venue, but with their form and some fans in, I can’t see us getting a positive result. Having got to the end of this preview without a racing preference, there’s only one horse to back. Cheltenham 3-1 Bolton

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