Match Report: Bolton Wanderers 2-0 Millwall

Following the disappointment of a 93rd minute Reading equaliser in the last home game, and the disappointment of a 93rd minute Blackburn Rovers winner in midweek, it was with some trepidation that I made the trek to the Reebok yesterday ahead of the league tie with a struggling Millwall.

Leaving work at 2pm, I bombed down the motorway - within the legal speed limits Mum - and took my seat in the East Lower. Noting the injury to Saidy Janko, I was glad that Bolton Wanderers boss Neil Lennon had sprung for academy graduate Tom Walker to replace the on-loan Manchester United man.

I was really impressed with Walker. It was a brave performance in many ways. He wasn't afraid of taking a man on, and managed to recover from a couple of early mistakes to become one of the leading lights of the midfield.

I digress. On to the match report.

Millwall were shit.

Bolton Wanderers were excellent in patches, and average in others.

We defended fairly poorly despite the encouraging performance of Paddy McCarthy, and yet again we were indebted to Ben Amos who rescued the Whites on more than one occasion.

Bolton started the game well, and raced into an early lead when Adam Le Fondre ran on to an excellent ball from Tim Ream before coolly slotting beyond David Forde in the Millwall goal. Alfie owed us a goal considering his recent poor form in terms of sticking the ball in the net.

Space was at a premium in midfield, and Neil Danns found himself in trouble in the early stages and was fortunate to stay on the park after a mad five minutes when he was rightly booked for a reckless lunge, and then just a few minutes later could easily have been given another yellow after a similarly daft challenge. It was no surprise that he was hooked at half time.

Barring a few bursts from the away side, the game was seen out in comfortable fashion by Bolton who will welcome the three points which take them to 16th in the table, leaving Millwall in real peril down in 23rd place with just nine games remaining.

Fascinating fact - Wanderers are now unbeaten at home to Millwall in the last 40 years.

Bolton manager Neil Lennon on Le Fondre:

"They were two great finishes and 'Alf' is our second-joint top scorer and he has only been in the building since late January.

"He is a goal scorer and his record has always been good. When the opportunity came to bring him here I thought he would make us better.

"He has already repaid that but I want him to get double figures between now and the end of the season. There are bits of his game he needs to improve on and I am going to keep pushing him on that.

"But it is a priceless commodity being a goal scorer and he has done that his whole career."

Millwall caretaker manager Neil Harris:

"I am disappointed we lost but there were plenty of positives, including the chances we created and the manner in which we had a right good go in the second half.

"The difference was Adam Le Fondre scores two good goals while Lee and Aiden didn't score. The moves to get them in were really good and both hit the target but certainly one of them should have gone in the net.

"We are in a difficult position and there are no promises from anyone in the dressing room as to what we are going to do between now and the end of the season. The target is to win games and see where it takes us. We can try and improve in every game we play.

"Yes we are looking at a nine-game season but the bigger future for the club is we have to compete and play in the right manner."