Match Report: Rotherham United 1-1 Bolton Wanderers

Bolton Wanderers travelled to Rotherham United having picked up only one win in their last eight games. Rotherham are a team who will end the season in the same part of the table as Wanderers, but have picked up all of their points at home so far.

For the most part the two sides played out a rather uneventful affair with Bolton once again starting the game very slowly.

Josh Magennis won a second half penalty and his shot from that was Bolton’s first on target. The only problem is the keeper went the right way. It was a well struck penalty and a good save by the keeper. But, you simply cannot put a penalty at that height, by doing so you always make it saveable for a keeper who goes the right way. Will a missed penalty away to a relegation rival cost us in the final reckoning? Lets hope not

To add insult to injury Bolton trailed within five minutes from a direct free kick. It looked to have taken a deflection to me, regardless there was little Ben Alnwick could do to stop it.

Wanderers rolled the dice at this point throwing Christian Doidge and Yanic Wildshut into the mix in search for an equaliser.

That goal would come with five minutes remaining. A long ball was nodded down by the impressive Clayton Donaldon straight into the path of Doidge who hit a wonderful first time shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

1-1 it remained. With a missed penalty did Bolton snatch a draw from the jaws of defeat? Having been 1-0 down in the closing stages did we instead snatch a draw from the jaws of defeat. We will not know for a while which side of the line history will record this as being on.

But, having now picked up only one win in nine something needs to change as we entertain Nottingham Forest followed by Hull City. Forest are doing alright a couple of points ahead of us while Hull are right down there. If we are to stay on course for a relegation drama free season then four points from those games is a must for me. Otherwise, we will be dragged right into the fight we were hoping to avoid after our impressive start.