Bolton Wanderers have received a huge boost to their League One automatic promotion ambitions as nearest rivals Derby County endured a day to forget in Northampton.
The Trotters hopes of finishing in the top two took a big blow last weekend when they fell to a 1-0 defeat at Pride Park courtesy of a late winner from Kane Wilson. That allowed the East Midlands-based team to open up a four point gap in second with just seven games remaining of the season.
Paul Warne took his side to Northampton Town yesterday in hopes of cementing their position, but the day could not have gone worse as the Cobblers took the spoils thanks to a solitary Sam Hoskins strike. To add further sting to the defeat, the Rams also saw defender Sonny Bradley sent off for an alleged headbutt in added time whilst Nathaniel Mendez-Laing limped off midway through the second half.
Following the game, the manager stated that the attacker had pulled his hamstring, raising fears he could miss a chunk of the season run in. Speaking to the official club website, the 50-year-old said:
“He took a challenge down near us and felt his hamstring.
“My honest opinion is that he’s pulled something because he’s been physically resilient for us and played a lot of time. We’ll know more early next week.”
Journalist Ed Dawes also confirmed the news, stating that Warne feared the worst:
“Nat’s out, he’s done his hammy.” Paul Warne confirms Nathaniel Mendez Laing has done his hamstring #dcfc #dcfcfans
— Ed Dawes (@Ed__Dawes) March 23, 2024
Derby are already short on numbers after Dwight Gayle and Tom Barkhuizen both picked up injuries against Bolton, whilst Craig Forsyth appears to have been ruled out for the remainder of the campaign:
“Craig Forsyth injured another part of his calf in training so I don’t think we’ll see him again this season, unfortunately.
“Tom Barkhuizen is out for another 2-3 weeks and, similarly, Dwight Gayle is out for that period as well. We’ll have to look at the squad on Monday and build up to a big game on Friday.”
With numbers depleting quickly, the last thing the Rams needed was a suspension to a key player. Bradley’s red card now means he is set to miss the next three games against Blackpool, Portsmouth and Wycombe Wanderers.
Over in Bolton, Ian Evatt’s team would have been watching this capitulation from afar knowing that a glimmer of hope has opened up in the race to secure a spot in the Championship. They will hope to close the gap over the Easter weekend when they take on Stevenage on Good Friday before hosting Reading the following Monday.
Writer’s View
Derby were understandably full of confidence heading into the tie at Sixfields following last weekend’s massive victory over their nearest promotion rivals. A huge contingent followed the team to Northamptonshire and they will be bitterly disappointed that they were not able to build on their advantage.
With numbers fast depleting, Bolton will be delighted as they look to chase down the Rams over the next month. It’s still in Derby’s hands, but they cannot afford any more slip-ups. Ian Evatt won’t admit it, but he will be looking at the upcoming fixtures and sensing a huge opportunity.
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