Shrewsbury Town 1-3 Bolton Wanderers: Immediate Reaction

Anything else than a solid win would have been a disappointing result for Bolton Wanderers. The last thing anyone wanted was a repeat of last season when Bolton crashed out to Crawley Town in their first cup match. The start to the match didn't necessarily reinforce belief in the side. Shrewsbury Town were very much the team on top in the first half but it was Bolton who scored first.

It was great to see Dougie Freedman play a mix of first team, reserve, and young players against Shrewsbury Town. The lineup provided leadership in captain Zat Knight while giving Tyrone Mears and Tim Ream a chance to prove themselves. Rob Hall and Sanmi Odelusi started on flanks, giving the team a young edge. David Ngog and Craig Davies provided the power up front.

Craig Davies nearly came good midway through the first half, smacking his header from a Rob Hall corner against the crossbar. Shrews were happy to try shots from distance but none of them gave Andy Lonergan any trouble. Wanderers broke the deadlock first with a curling effort from Rob Hall from 25 yards out. The young winger, showing the flair he did in pre-season, looked a threat for Wanderers throughout the day.

Then, Bolton's defense once again let the team down. The back four tried to play a fancy offside trap that was a bit slow and allowed Paul Parry's cross to find Aaron Wildig in a mile-and-a-half of space, allowing him to finish unmarked. Shock.

Bolton would go back in front before the half, this time with Hall turning provider for his counterpart on the opposite flank with Sanmi Odelusi getting a final touch before the ball settled in the back of the net for his first senior goal. The youth was paying dividends for Bolton.

A third then came after the break with Odelusi doubling up with a super goal after Ngog released him. The top corner strike sent him and fans celebrating as they should.

It was a comfortable win for the Whites despite a rough start and it was exactly what it should have been. Despite the awful goal that Wanderers conceded, they had done well to coast into the second round of the Capital One Cup. On top of that, Bolton fans saw the full debut of Sanmi Odelusi (and what a debut it was) as well as the debut of Andre Moritz.

Roll on the weekend!