Bolton Wanderers were defeated 2-0 as they took on Dave Challinor’s Stockport County. Both sides boasted strong League One outfits before kick-off, but the Lancashire side ultimately failed to capitalise on a plethora of chances.
Attack Lacked the Finish
Tension rose early on, with debutant and Chelsea loanee Teddy Sharman-Lowe being shoved into the advertisement boards by Kyle Wootton. A corner kick opportunity shortly followed for Bolton, as Josh Dacres-Cogley should have put Steven Schumacher’s side 1-0 up. This well-worked routine looked like a training pitch special, but the right-back, unmarked, scuffed his resultant shot.
Along the opposite channel, Bolton attacked with Max Conway as a marauding left-back inverting into the midfield space when free. The returning Crewe Alexandra loanee looked just as attacking as Dacres-Cogley upon his parent club return and even struck the woodwork with a thunderous shot in the second half; Amario Cozier-Duberry appeared the most threatening to Stockport. Brighton and Hove Albion’s developing winger drifted in-field and forced Corey Addai to make a smart stop to his bottom right corner, with a curling left-footed attempt.
Stockport Bounced Back From Onslaught
County used their own full-backs to inspire attacking threat, with Burnley loanee Owen Dodgson nearly opening the scoring after a dangerous cross prompted Wootton around the 41st minute mark. Bolton were punished for wasted chances seconds before the half-time whistle would have been pre-empted, with captain Oliver Norwood’s strike being diverted into the net, with great reactions, from record-signing Malik Mothersille. Stockport’s resilience had paid off.
With Plymouth Argyle awaiting a visit from Bolton next weekend, Tom Cleverley was observing intently from the stands.
The second half took a decent while to get going, but Aaron Morley continued to progress his side up the field – which the 25-year-old thrived at in the opening 45. Attacking changes from Schumacher failed to make enough of the required difference today, with County keeping a clean sheet for 97 minutes – defensively resolute and even doubling their lead with a late, headed finish from marksman Wootton. Thierry Gale came the closest in Bolton’s late onslaught, forcing a reactive stop from Addai in the 80th minute.
Writer’s View
The attacking trio of Mendes Gomes, John McAtee and Cozier-Duberry initially looked good, with Dacres-Cogley’s wide play enabling tons of free space for the Brighton winger during the first half. However, with Plymouth next week – who albeit struggled against Barnsley on the opening weekend – Wanderers will need a much sharper cutting edge.
Defensively the Lancashire side looked promising enough up until Wootton’s winner, especially with this tie being an away fixture. Against strong opposition in Stockport, there were still some promising signs for Bolton. But Norwood was unplayable in the opposing midfield, notably providing the winning shot-turned-assist. Defensively as well as roaming forward, the 34-year-old showcased a sound display.
