Match Report: Millwall 1-1 Bolton Wanderers

Bolton Wanderers entered the Lions Den in search of a first win in seven games. It was going so well but then Bolton did what they do best and threw it away.

The game started incredibly brightly for Bolton as they pushed for an early opener. Will Buckley was causing all sorts of problems cutting in from the left, and no that is not a typo. First he should have been awarded a penalty and then he should have done more with a one on one.

From there Bolton made the break through with a goal after four on the trot without finding the net. Mark Beevers stayed forward following a set peice and timed his run to perfection heading home off the far post. The away end was a mixture of jubilant and shocked as Bolton converted their dominance into a rare lead.

After that point Bolton started to sit back and allowed Millwall into a match which up to that point they had no foothold in. For the remainder of the half Millwall built themselves up and nearly grabbed the equaliser. Their player was in acres of space in the six yard box only to see his shot saved by Ben Alnwick. The second shot was blocked before the third was cleared off the line by Beevers.

A huge let off to end the half, but the warning was not heeded.

After the break Millwall truely took control of the game dominating possession and territory. Bolton had one break out at pace. Joe Williams took the ball forward but hit a wild shot rather than playing in Pawel Olkowski. Would Bolton regret that decision?

Yes. Millwall gained complete control passing the ball around at will and making vast amounts of ground unimpeded. Finally the inevitable happened on 82 minutes as Millwall found their equaliser. Barring one proper break out Wanderers continued to be unable to break out of their half.

Millwall thought they had a winner at the end of the game, but the linesman ruled it out for offside, correctly I gather.

Bolton had control of this game before going 1-0 up. Complete and total control. They then allowed Millwall to play their way into the game for the remainder of the match and were lucky to take anything from the game by full time.

There are positives to take out of this game, but while sat third from bottom we don’t need a few positives, we need a few wins.