Good Point In UEFA Cup

Big Sam was more than pleased with the point gained from last night’s UEFA Cup match against Besiktas.

Bolton found themselves trailing by a goal after some sloppy defending. Metin released Ailton and the Brazilian hit a fantastic shot into the corner past Ian Walker.

Bolton knew all was not lost; having battled back against Lokomotiv Plovdiv in an earlier round they again showed that fighting spirit and drew level in the 29th minute after a clinical finish by Borgetti.

With a smile on his face, the manager said:

‘The lads were tremendous tonight, the result will live long in the memory for Bolton fans all over the world. The performance overall was first class and my players, who have come in during a difficult period, deserve all the accolades.

‘I was concerned when we gave away a stupid goal in the opening six minutes, but the way we responded after going a goal down was very professional.’

‘Jared took his goal really well showing great quality. That is the reason why we signed him in the summer because he has the ability of conjuring something up from nothing. The ball across the face of Besiktas’ penalty area from El Hadji Diouf was perfect and Jared, with his weaker foot, showed great composure to slot the ball home.

‘In Joey O’Brien it looks like we have another youngster coming through the Academy production line. With his maturity tonight he might just have come of age. For someone so young, he took on a lot of responsibility and thrived under the pressure cooker atmosphere.’