MOTM: Bolton Wanderers 2-0 Scunthorpe United

Well, well, well!

Another win over a team beginning with ‘S’, another double over a side achieved, three of those in two weeks now, another composed and measured performance and another well deserved victory for the boys on the balance of play.

The momentum is building and a number of players are hitting a sustained run of impressive form, just at the right time.

Twin towers Ricardo Santos and Alex Baptiste chalked up another clean sheet, with just the one blot on their copybook as a straight ball over the top to Abo Eisa almost undid all their good work, only to be rescued by a combination of Matt Gilks rushing from his line, Peter van Veen’s less than convincing hit and Baptiste’s superb clearance off the line.

Declan John proved our most consistent outlet in a first half in which we dominated the ball with 72% possession but struggled to create enough clear cut chances to test ex-Whites stopper Mark Howard in the Iron’s net until the penalty award settled our nerves.

Gethin Jones was his usual steady self and Dapo Afolayan was again bright early on, seeing a couple efforts from the edge of the box flash narrowly wide. Unfortunately, he followed a familiar pattern of fading as the game went on, yet Lloyd Isgrove on the other wing had the opposite trajectory in this match. After a quiet start where he didn’t see much of the ball, with us concentrating our attacks mainly down the left flank, he flourished with his busy style and close control, providing the exquisite cut-back for substitute skipper Sarcevic to put the game to bed.

My MOTM, though, is a chap who divided opinion in his first few outings after his deadline day move from Blackpool. However, last night MJ Williams was everywhere. His decision making, passing and pressing were a big part of our eventual stroll to victory. One poor moment that ended up with him committing a tactical foul and picking up a booking, this after being robbed down the right flank as the game drew to a close, showed he needs to retain that concentration that was clearly present in his performance the rest of the game.

Encouraging signs from Williams and the team as a whole. The range and quality of options on the bench that we possess is a huge plus that Evatt has repeatedly alluded to and having the ability to use five of them, if necessary, could play massively into our hands as the season reaches its business end.

Onwards we go, with Barrow at the UniBol on Saturday, where we’ll be looking to notch our fifth straight win and sixth in seven games!

COYWM!!