Well, tomorrow is a big game.
It’s Bolton v Reading, with both teams in the bottom three and not in particularly good form. Now, of course, either side could lose and still go on to put together a great sequence of results. It’s still January and there are well over a dozen matches to go and all that. But if we lost tomorrow, there is not going to be a good ambience around the University of Bolton Stadium.
There’ll be also another protest tomorrow with another 7pm meeting outside the statue. While nobody came to Vital Bolton asking us if we wanted to promote it, we aren’t exactly objecting to it. Again, we support anything that isn’t disruptive to the match, or abuses other Wanderers fans, or isn’t violent.
🎥 On camera. Wanderers boss Phil Parkinson spoke to https://t.co/oVVl0dtnLo ahead of tomorrow's @SkyBetChamp home fixture against @ReadingFC.#BWFC 🐘🏰 pic.twitter.com/mPEgtpMMrY
— Bolton Wanderers (@OfficialBWFC) January 28, 2019
Team news
Ben Alnwick, David Wheater, Mark Beevers, Jonathan Grounds and Marc Wilson are all doubts in one way or another so who lines up at the back could be very interesting. Tiago Ilori is on his way out of Reading it appears, so he is unlikely to be involved, but Nelson Oliveira, Emiliano Martinez and Matt Miazga (who are all described as ‘signings’, whatever they are) could all feature.
Facts and stats
Last season, we hosted Reading, and blew a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2. The reverse fixture this season resulted in our last away win, when Yanic Wildschut scored the only goal of that August afternoon. Completing the double tomorrow would be the first time we did that since 2007-08, when we stayed up at Reading’s expense, but that was the last time we beat Reading at home.
Jose Gomes has yet to win away as Reading manager.
Bolton have one clean sheet in their last 20 games, kept at home to Stoke a month ago.
Bolton have 37 home shots on target this season, the second lowest in the Championship, only better than Ipswich.
Match prediction
1-1.