Bolton’s senior team play their penultimate pre-season friendly this afternoon as they travel to Barrow.
On a personal note it’s a big day for Ian Evatt. It’s not the first time he has taken his Wanderers side up to Holker Street, but last season’s 3-3 draw was played behind closed doors. Today will be different, as he’ll get a reception, bad or good, from the locals.
As for us, it looks as though we’ll be playing the players who didn’t get too much game time in Tuesday’s win over Preston North End. Harry Brockbank, Will Aimson, Adam Senior, George Thomason, Andy Tutte, Ronan Darcy and Max Conway all came on in the second half at Leyland, so could they all be in line for a start?
It’s our last game on the road too, as next Saturday we play our final friendly, which will be in front of a home crowd as Blackburn Rovers make the trip down to face us.
As for today’s opponents, Barrow stayed up last season and have brought in ex-Forest Green boss Mark Cooper to hopefully settle things down on the managerial front after having three managers last season. Tom White, who was on loan with us for the first half of last season, joined the Bluebirds permanently this summer after a previous loan spell there under Evatt, while they also have Offrande Zanzala up front, who likes a goal against us.
It’s a 3pm kick-off.