Bolton are looking for a fifth win in a row tomorrow in all competitions when they take on Southend at the University of Bolton Stadium.
Wanderers are now just three points off the playoffs, but given the congested state of the table, a win would take us into the top half, but realistically not into the top seven just yet. The game against the struggling Southend has been brought forward from Tuesday, due to both teams being knocked out of the FA Cup already and having an otherwise free weekend.
IAN EVATT | Head Coach ahead of Southend United home fixture – YouTube
Team news
Ian Evatt will most likely name an unchanged side once again. Harry Brockbank may be available sooner than once feared, although not just yet.
Previously
One of our few wins last season came at home to Southend about 11 months ago. Just before Christmas, we ran out 3-2 winners. We went behind, but goals from Joe Dodoo, Luke Murphy and Daryl Murphy gave us the win, Timothee Dieng pulled one back to make it less comfortable than it should have been.
The opposition
If you think we’ve been bad to watch in recent years, spare a thought for Southend. They just about avoided relegation from League One in 2019 with a last day win over Sunderland, but then picked up fewer points than us last season (although we finished below them due our points deduction). This season they have just one win and five points under manager Mark Molesley, who joined in the summer.
Prediction
One slight worry is Southend got their first win recently with an away success at Walsall, so we can’t just expect to turn up and get the three points. Having said that, if we can continue our recent run, we should win. 2-0.