We look out how we’ve started recent seasons. Not well, it seems
2011: QPR 0-4 Bolton
The last time we won our opening gane of the season was the last time we were in the top flight. A potentially awkward opener at the newly promoted Rs turned out to be a walk in the park as even Fabrice Muamba scored and Gary Cahill scored a curling beauty.
It turned out to be a massive red herring though, as we won just one more game between then and the end of October. We were bottom on New Year’s Day and despite having survival in our hands several times we conspired to mess it all up.
2012: Burnley 2-0 Bolton
Any talk that we would bounce straight back up from the Championship was quietned very quickly by a 2-0 loss at Turf Moor, as the natives took delight in getting one over Owen Coyle. Martin Paterson and Charlie Austin scored either side of the break.
Coyle was out of a job by October, but we didn’t get going until February when a decent run nearly saw us salvage a playoff spot
2013: Burnley 1-1 Bolton
One year later we again travelled to Turf Moor as part of the Football League’s 125th anniversary celebrations, and the very first game of the Championship season.
We did better. Going behind to a David Wheater own goal after a Danny Ings shot deflected off him, Darren Pratley equalised pretty quickly and we came away with a point.
Again though, it was a spluttering start, in fact we just didn’t get going that season. A good run in the second half of the season at least ensured mud table comfort.
2014: Watford 3-0 Bolton
An awful game at Vicarage Road, Troy Deeney had the Hornets in front in the 17th minute, Matej Vydra quickly made it two, then Fernando Forestieri sealed the win late on. We won one game of our first eleven and Dougie Freedman was sacked, with Neil Lennon’s honeymoon phase between November and December quashing any relegation fears
2015: Bolton 0-0 Derby
Last season was horrendous, most of us expected to struggle, but after the first game there was a bit of quiet optimism. A goalless draw at home to a side that were expected to be, and were, up there, and we hit the woodwork three times.
Sadly, that profligacy became a theme, and well, we don’t need to tell you last season went again.
Our last home win on the opening day was our 3-1 over Stoke. In 2008.
We do start slow it seems