Fulham 1 — 1 Bolton Wanderers
Wanderers fail to defend single goal lead
- Saturday, November 28, 2009
- Venue: Craven Cottage
- Attendance: 23,554
- Referee: Steve Bennett
- Kevin Davies [2!]
- Gretar Steinsson [23]
- Jonathan Greening [33]
- Ivan Klasnic [35]
- Ricardo Gardner [50]
- Gavin McCann [53]
- Jussi Jaaskelainen [64]
- Jlloyd Samuel [72]
- Damien Duff [75]
Bolton Wanderers desperately needed a win and a trip to Craven Cottage could have (should have) been a perfect opportunity to earn 3 valuable points.
Early signs of pressure which almost gave Fulham the lead were well defended — just. A prime example was Gretar Steinsson’s save off the line. I’m not even sure how he saved the point blank shot (I bet he’s not either) but nonetheless he made the save and that is what is important. Matt Taylor and Gavin McCann also defended well and are worthy of an honourable mention. (Come to think of it the whole squad deserve an honourable mention seeming they have to serve under the mismanagement of Gary Megson.)
With just 10 minutes to play before half time Ivan Klasnic took The Wanderers ahead following a poorly defended long Bolton throw–in which was headed into the box twice by Gary Cahill. Cahill’s second header reached Klasnic who deftly movement controlled, turned and scored.
While Bolton had hardly ventured forward before scoring they looked less likely to do so afterwards and seem to be content with defending their single goal lead. This was, of course, a mistake and doubtlessly a tactic that Gary Megson had promoted. Fulham were allowed to attack more frequently while Bolton assaults into the final third were not only rare but simply ineffective. Bolton on the whole defended well and goalkeeper Jussi Jaakelainen was force to make a few spectacular saves.
The somewhat inevitable equaliser came in the 75th minute with a powered shot by Damien Duff. A slight deflection by Gary Cahill may have caused helped Duff’s shot into the net and without it the ball may have sailed wide or hit the post.
Only when Fulham had equalised did Bolton really apply the pressure that had been lacking since Klasnic’s goal. Bolton proved that they could create chances but with just a quarter of an hour to go it was too little, too late. The clearest chance came during injury time with the aforementioned Stiensson heading Matthew Taylor’s perfectly weighted free kick just over the bar.
A draw away from home should not disappoint, yet it did. Defending a flimsy lead for an hour is a fallible tactic. Bolton ought to have been bolstered by Ivan’s goal and showed determination to get a second early in the second half. Instead Fulham’s determination grew and grew and ultimately proved to be fruitful.
The single point was not enough to lift The Wanderers out of the bottom three. We can hope that Megson’s Christmas comes early and a slew of wins throughout December sees The Trotters into a prosperous New Year.
Full match report on the Bolton Wanderers official website
Full match report on Fulham’s official website
