Bolton manager Owen Coyle has expressed his frustration at the failure to get past Spurs in the FA Cup at the first time of asking.
‘Probably none of us wanted a replay but we are in the draw for the next round and who is to say we can’t go there and win the replay,` he told Sky Sports.
Coyle felt that the game should have been put to bed well before Jermaine Defoe`s equaliser had cancelled out Kevin Davies`s first half opener.
‘If we had come in at half-time with a bigger lead no-one would have thought it was unjust,` he commented.
The assessment is accurate. A more natural finisher than Johan Elmander would have put away at least one of the half dozen chances that were presented to him, although to be fair, the big Swede was at the centre of everything good that Bolton did in his most influential performance for well over a year.
Fabrice Muamba also had an outstanding game, especially in the first half. The £5.5 million signing from Birmingham has often disappointed, but in this game he seemed to be in several places at once, such was his success in breaking up the play of the visitors.
But it wasn`t just finishing that let Coyle`s side down. The build up play in midfield was frequently of a high quality. The same couldn`t be said of the final ball. A bit more composure in the final third will see the White`s climb away from the relegation zone.
The replay at White Hart Lane will take place on Wednesday 25th February but it may be rescheduled to the day before if ITV decide to screen it.
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