MOTM: Bolton Wanderers 1-1 Cheltenham Town

Ian Evatt again played Isgrove in his specialist role of right winger and showed that he is a real difference maker on his day, as everything came down our right in certainly the best half of football that I’ve seen from us this season.

Great decision making, bursts of pace to get away from his man, crisp passing, inventive through balls, pinpoint crossing and an insatiable work rate were all on show in a superb display of wing play. That he swapped wings with new boy Elbouzedi for the second half was as puzzling as how the Whites didn’t go into half-time with the lead and unsurprisingly his effectiveness waned as he had to cut inside a lot more, which is not his natural game. He’d had the beating of Lewis Freestone on the Robins left flank and found Matty Blair a much more obdurate obstacle.

He’s a throw-back in that he’s basically just an out-and-out winger, with a pretty poor goal record throughout his career so far. He’s a supply-the-bullets kind of player and as long as that’s what we’re asking him to do then he’ll do exactly what it says on the tin. But we need a goal threat on the other side, whether that be a rejuvenated Delfouneso or Elbouzedi coming good. We need more genuine goalscorers in the side in general and can’t just rely on Doyle every game.

He took one for the team when he was shown a yellow card for a cynical trip on a Cheltenham player breaking free, stemming a really dangerous looking counter-attack. Good lad. We love that kind of shithousery here and it was completely the right thing to do.

I just hope that Evatt persists with this formation as it clearly suits us and the players he has at his disposal much better and allows Isgrove the freedom to continue to show why he was very much touted as a Premier League player in his formative years.

Keep it up Lloyd!!

I’m positive that after a much improved showing here we have a chance of getting something from the game against Keith Hill’s Tranmere. COYWM!