MOTM: Bolton Wanderers 1-2 Oldham Athletic - Peter Kioso

My man of the match award this weekend, alas, is a fairly straight forward task.

There were players who had maybe good ten minute spells in this wretched, god forsaken game.

Delfouneso looked lively around his goal and he really is quite a decent footballer, despite missing a one-on-one that I had about as much faith in him to score as I had in Bolton to win the game itself.

I thought the three centre halves all did well overall, if more individually rather than collectively as a unit, as every time Conor McAleny received the ball he looked like either creating a goal or scoring one himself. They all managed to blot their own copybooks at one point or another in the end, ruling them out of contention.

I did think that Antoni Sarcevic improved and drove us forward on the counter at times in the second half but he is still very much yet to convince that he is as good a player as the reputation that precedes him.

So there’s only one winner for me.

The man who set up our only goal with a strong run and accurate pull back. The man who won countless aerial duels, once we discovered that he was particularly proficient in this area. Whether that’s a general strength of his or that he just had the beating of this opponent, I’m not sure, but he has a very well timed leap on him which could be useful in dead ball situations. The man who played with the general fearlessness, freedom and lack of inhibition of someone who’s last performance was a man of the match worthy display against Manchester United and a man who only had 72 hours with the group, thus failing to have spent enough time with us to be dragged down to our level yet.

That man, our man of this particular losing match, is our Luton-loanee, Peter Kioso.

All joking aside, his performance was certainly encouraging given his lack of integration time and I hope we can expect to see the same sort of display moving forwards. Kioso gave us a physical presence, pace and an outlet down the right hand side, that if Evatt continues with a system that deploys wing-backs, will be absolutely vital.

Well done that man.

Onwards to Barrow-in-Furness!!

COYWM!!