We had to wait all afternoon for the winning goal, but it could be a pivotal goal, because in a way, it was sort of a milestone.
It took until the last minute of the match, but deep into injury time Shaun Miller scored the only goal of the match for the second Saturday running, and for the first time this season Bolton moved into the top seven, and for those who would prefer not to go through that particular test of nerve, within four points of the automatic promotion slots.
It was a match where again we saw Bolton’s possession game develop further. We kept the ball well and had 73% possession in the game, which is probably the best we’ve had all season. Interestingly, we now have the second highest figures in the league for average possession. It’s far from being the be all and end all, but a manager who has made a big thing out of keeping the ball would probably point to it and see things are coming together.
What wasn’t as good was our ability to break Barrow down. They defended deep, as is their right, and they could have even done us at the end of the first half, with Matt Gilks having to make a save from midfielder Jason Taylor.
We had the majority of chances though, the best coming just after half time when Antoni Sarcevic, back in the starting lineup, had a shot saved by their goalkeeper.
As the afternoon went on, there was a worry we wouldn’t ever to break them down, and then Barrow were unlucky to not to get a penalty, although MJ Williams had pulled out of the challenge, making the ultimately right.
Then came our winner. Two of the substitutes combined, Arthur Gnahoua with the assist, and Miller again finding a late winner.