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Well that was a strange match - rather enjoyable too. Bolton Wanderers and Huddersfield Town went toe-to-toe for the best part of 94 minutes and it really could have gone either way.
Fortunately for Bolton it was the men in white shirts who prevailed, and perhaps who shaded it somewhat over the Huddersfield who can be happy with a good performance but whose own shortcomings were fairly evident across the events of the game.
So what can be gleaned from the match? Let's have a see:
1) The Bloody Advertising Boards
They have been a hindrance before, but now they're becoming a bloody nuisance.
They're far too bright and it makes following the action difficult. Indeed at times watching attacks at either end can be an exercise in spotting the ball which becomes virtually impossible when the ad boards are brighter than the surface of the sun.
Take Andy Lonergan's fine save to deny the Huddersfield player's point-blank shot - I have no idea who the attacker was, and I only knew that it had been saved because of the reaction of the crowd.
It's ridiculous and needs sorting. Fortunately it appears that Wanderers have got the message with social media contact Daniel Houlker acknowledging the problem and confirming that the club will act on fan complaints:
@whitty_howfen @Sarahlouise14x @MichaelJHowarth Thanks for the feedback guys. As I say, it's something we'll be raising again.
— Daniel Houlker (@DHoulker_BWFC) November 29, 2014
Even the Huddersfield fans noticed according to this forum post entitled 'Anybody else feel half blinded'.
Sort it out, Wanderers.
2) Lennon Facing Goalkeeping Conundrum
With the return from injury of regular first choice goalkeeper Adam Bogdan and the impressive form of backup keeper Andy Lonergan of late, Wanderers boss Neil Lennon will soon face a difficult decision - drop the in-form Lonergan in favour of Bogdan, or stick with the man currently in possession of the no.1 jersey (squad numbers aside)?
I personally prefer Bogdan, but there is no denying that Lonergan thoroughly deserves his place in the team, and the return of the Hungarian from his finger injury should see some healthy competition between the two.
In the long term I suspect that Bogdan will eventually retain the spot, but Lonergan is doing well enough at the moment. He made some fairly routine saves against Huddersfield, and one outstanding save (so I'm told - see point 1) - all saves that he would have been expected to make given the poor quality of Huddersfield's finishing.
Having two good goalkeepers to call upon is a manager's dream - Lennon has a tough call to make each week.
3) Josh Vela
I've written before on this topic but Saturday made me want to revisit the topic - Vela, whilst undoubtedly doing his best - will never be a right back.
We need to strengthen in that position and quickly. Kevin McNaughton has never been good enough at his age and with his limited mobility, but the positional sense that comes from a natural right back cannot be discounted and is absolutely crucial.
Vela's honest efforts are absolutely appreciated but three times in the first 30 minutes we saw him misjudge the flight of the ball or be beaten easily by the onrushing Huddersfield player. Someone with a bit more positional nous and/or pace might have prevented those attacks.
I want to see Josh Vela in midfield, not at right back.
4) Liam Feeney is a VERY Frustrating Footballer
The former Millwall and Blackburn Rovers man had a reasonable game against Huddersfield, but his performance was not without it's issues.
His one trick of pushing the ball beyond the defender and running as quickly as he can is a useful one, but it's also highly predictable.
He was guilty of taking too many touches before releasing the ball on several occasions, hampering our attacks and counter attacks accordingly.
His crossing ability is similarly hit and miss - I find that when he hits the ball on the run then the quality is usually a lot better. Evidence being his split-second to cross in order to set up Craig Davies' winner. Compare this with the crosses that he flings into the box when he has time to set the ball - more often than not those crosses are blocked, or not up to the standard that we require.
His pace is a real asset, and I hope that he finds more consistency going forward because at this level it's crucial to have that pace in order to spread the game and open up space.
We had a few players who underperformed yesterday (Max Clayton for example) and the fact that we won is a real comfort as under Dougie Freedman I think we'd have lost that, given the tight nature of the game.
5) Neil Danns in the Holding Role >>> Jay Spearing/Medo Kamara in the Holding Role
Another one of Neil Lennon's tactical switches has seen the former Crystal Palace and Huddersfied Town midfielder Neil Danns switched to a more central 'sitting' position.
This has of course been to the detriment of the club's other holding players, namely former captain Jay Spearing and Medo Kamara.
Obviously injury has played a part in both being absent but Danns has really grasped his chance and is playing well.
He is quick over short distances and has neat ball control - as evidence by him nipping the ball off the frankly shambolic Diego Poyet (wonder how he got a professional contract) and setting up Craig Davies who was hacked down inside the box. Should have been a penalty.
Danns was tenacious in the challenge and efficient on the ball. A real Man of the Match performance.
He may well be labelled as just 'a Championship player' but he's a key member of our side and deserves his place over his more illustrious counterparts.
Keep it up!