BWFC 1 — 1 Tottenham Hotspur
Optimism Returns to The Reebok
- Saturday, October 3, 2009
- Venue: The Reebok Stadium
- Attendance: 21,305
- Referee: Mike Jones
- Ricardo Gardner [4]
- Tamir Cohen [32]
- Niko Kranjcar [34]
- Jermaine Jenas [35]
- Fabrice Muamba [59]
- Kevin Davies [69]
- Vedran Corluka [73]
Bolton Wanderers went ahead twice but a determined Tottenham Hotspurs fought back to earn a point in what was a highly entertaining match.
Bolton went ahead early on when Ricardo Garnder slammed the ball into the roof of the net after Spurs goalkeeper, Carlo Cudicini, parried Chung–Yong’s shot. The early goal seemed to stun Tottenham Hotspur who rarely enjoyed meaningful possession in the first half. All too often Tottenham wasted their possession with inconsequential crosses and half–hearted shots.
Ricardo Gardner almost scored a second with a carefully placed shot but his curled effort was blocked.
Boos were heard at The Reebok Stadium again but they were not aimed at Gary Megson. Instead they were saved for Wilson Palacios who fell to the floor following a firm but fair tackle by Tamir Cohen. Wilson’s ensuing writhing earned Tamir a yellow card, upon which Palacios made a rapid recovery.
Tottenham’s first half equaliser seemed to come from nowhere. A long and high pass by the previously poleaxed Palacios was met by a tightly marked Peter Crouch who nodded the ball into Niko Kranjcar’s path, who duly strode in to score.
Perhaps Bolton should have been leading going into the break as Tamir Cohen and Kevin Davies kept the visiting defence busy in the Spurs penalty area. Chung–Yong Lee was also causing a few problems too with a number of commendable crosses and corner kicks.
Harry Redknapp must had an inspirational chat at half–time as Tottenham were certainly better in the second half. Aaron Lennon forced a fine save from Jussi Jaaskelainen while efforts from Wilson Palacios and Peter Crouch sailed wide and high respectively.
Bolton went ahead again with a beautifully crafted goal. Tamir Cohen passed to Chung–Yong Lee who returned the ball to Cohen with a sneaky back–heel enabling the Israeli to float the ball to the right post where Kevin Davies rushed to header The Wanderers back into the lead.
Undeterred, Tottenham pressed on and created more chances. Peter Crouch (and over 20,000 spectators) were astonished when he failed to score from within the six–yard–box with only a star–jumping Jaaskelainen to beat — his effort struck the crossbar. Moments later Jussi was beaten and Spurs were level once again. Niko Kranjcar’s corner was headed in with power and precision by Vedran Corluka with less than 15 minutes to the final whistle.
As the clock ticked towards full–time the visitors looked the more likely to steal the points with a late winner. Peter Crouch was the closest to scoring in the closing minutes but he was blocked by brave Jasskelainen goalkeeping. A thoroughly enjoyable game in which Tottenham Hotspurs denied The Trotters of their first home win in this season’s Premier League campaign. While a draw may be a let down overall Bolton looked like a different team from their last draw which left fans baying for Megson’s dismissal.
After watching Bolton’s performance against Spurs, the future is looking decidedly brighter.
Bolton Wanderers manager gave a fair summary of the game:
“I’m disappointed with the draw to be honest, but delighted with the way we’ve played. That’s probably as well as we’ve played all season.
“I’ve seen Tottenham twice this season and they’ve been scintillating, but today they weren’t and that was down to our good play.“I thought we made the better chances and to concede two goals the way we did – a hoof to the back post and then from a corner – was disappointing.”
Official Match Report and Gary Megson’s review.
Official THFC match report and Harry Redknapp’s thoughts.
Watch highlights on Manny Road.
