MOTM v. Derby: Chris Eagles

It was a strange match from a Wanderers perspective. There were moments of real promise on show by the squad, and they did manage to keep the first clean sheet since February, but it was by no means a banner day for Bolton. The match could've very easily gone Derby County's way, had Kevin Davies not had a bit of luck. But regardless of the boo boys, there were plenty of positives to take out of that match, one of them being a collection of fantastic individual performances. Chung-Yong Lee, while still distinctly rusty, showed some of what Bolton direly missed last season, with his searingly quick runs. Keith Andrews, and to a lesser extent Mark Davies, put in a much more solid midfield show than at Burnley. Adam Bogdan once again made his usual redemption saves. But the real stand out, to me, was Chris Eagles.

We've always been Chreagles fans, here at Lion of Vienna Suite. He has his fair share of nothing games, true, but when he plays well, he plays well. This match was an excellent example of that. Before the match, Owen Coyle was receiving a lot of criticism for not starting Martin Petrov on the left wing, however Eagles soon vindicated his decision.

He was involved in many of the attacks, his speed and quick feet baffling the opposition. The link up between Eagles and Marvin Sordell looked very promising indeed, and on another day Sordell might have put away a few of Eagles' inch-perfect crosses. The ex-Burnley man provided the corner with which Kevin Davies first took a shot, then converted the rebound for Bolton's first goal. Then, to top off his performance, Eagles put the game to bed in the 90th minute, with a goal of his own. He showed his tenacity, somehow shrugging off two defenders in the box, and his shot was unstoppable. He also performed, a cute if unidentifiable dance in celebration, and I'm a sucker for that.