Bolton Wanderers progressed to the League One play-off final with a 1-0 victory over Bradford City at the University of Bradford Stadium. It was a match where Bolton came into the game already holding a 1-0 advantage thanks to Amario Cozier-Duberry’s goal in the first leg.
Heading into the match, Bradford opted to play a 3-4-2-1 system, and the big news for the Bantams was the return of Bobby Pointon, who had missed the last five matches through injury but was thrown straight back into the squad. Bolton, meanwhile, lined up in a 4-2-3-1 shape.
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The match itself started with very low quality, especially during the first half, with both sides looking nervous and panicky in possession. Neither team really wanted to settle on the ball or take responsibility, and from early on it felt like it was going to turn into a scrappy game with both sides opting to play direct.
When Bradford had possession, they repeatedly tried to find wing-back Ibou Touray out wide, although Bolton did a good job of limiting his ability to get forward and often forced play backwards.
One of the few bright sparks during the opening half came from Bolton’s Ibrahim Cissoko, who had a few nice moments and looked tricky with the ball at his feet. In truth, though, neither side looked like scoring.
Ironically, the best chance of the first half came from a corner when Rúben Rodrigues, the former Notts County man, whipped the ball in directly from the set-piece, forcing Sam Walker into a save just before half-time.
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Bradford needed to come out much better in the second half if they wanted to force a goal and put Bolton under pressure, and to be fair to Bradford, they did look the better side after the break.
Following a first half where neither team really wanted to take responsibility in possession, Bradford’s mindset in the second period was clearly to take more touches and play with far more confidence on the ball.
Almost instantly, they created a great opportunity when Jenson Metcalfe received the ball well in the centre of the park, drove forward confidently and saw his effort deflected just wide of the post.
The Batams continued to use long balls into wide areas as their main attacking outlet, trying to target Bolton full-backs George Johnston and Jordi Osei-Tutu.
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Then came Bradford’s best moment of the game when captain and best player on the night, Max Power, received the ball centrally on the edge of the area and struck an effort which looked destined for the back of the net. However, an outstanding save from Jack Bonham denied him.
Bonham then produced another huge moment in the game, making a second important save to deny substitute Nick Powell following a well-worked corner. Bradford thought they had finally found the breakthrough moments later when Caden Jackson pounced on the save and headed into the net. However, he was clearly offside, and the linesman quickly raised his flag to burst Bradford’s short-lived bubble.
As often happens in football, when a side is on top and fails to take their chances, they can end up being sucker-punched on the counter-attack, and that is exactly what happened…
The Wanderers put together a lovely counter-attacking move, using their pace in the wide areas before the ball was crossed into the box by Thierry Gal. In truth, it was not the best delivery, but Aden Baldwin failed to deal with it properly, allowing Xavier Simons to pounce on the loose ball and smash it past Sam Walker, effectively ending the tie and booking Bolton’s place in the Wembley final.
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For Bradford, it brings an end to a season where, having only just come up from League Two, they will still be pleased to have reached the play-offs, albeit with a bittersweet ending.
For Bolton, attention now turns towards Stockport County, as they prepare for a Wembley showdown between two North West clubs in what promises to be an exciting clash under the Wembley arch.
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