Man of the Match: David Wheater

The Reebok roared from the first whistle to the last as the mighty Bolton Wanderers picked up a crucial 2-1 win against relegation and local rivals Blackburn Rovers. It was the man with the golden chin (if they make a fifth Indiana Jones movie, this would surely be the prize), David Wheater, who provided Bolton with an unlikely league brace and what proved to be the game winning goal.

While two goals would normally make Wheater the obvious choice for the coveted LoVS Man of the Match award, he did have some competition in this match.

Martin Petrov was arguably the best man on the pitch today. Nearly everything for Bolton (save for the second goal) came from the left side with Petrov swinging in cross after cross and not being afraid to shoot from distance. Before the first goal, it was the Bulgarian's effort from distance that forced a Paul Robinson save that looked our best chance of the half. Petrov made his case even stronger by providing the assist for the opening goal.

Nigel Reo-Coker was once again solid today. The captain led with strength on the field much like he did off the field in the last week. A few crucial tackles to stop Blackburn breaks with his leadership never in question was enough to get NRC a shout.

That said, it's goals that win games and couple that with Wheater's mostly solid defensive performance, he's done enough to get the match ball and champagne bottle. The centerback's first league goals since wearing a Middlesbrough shirt were massive much like his aforementioned chin. At the end of the day, it's the goals that win games.