Bolton Wanderers 2-1 Fleetwood Town: Trotters record third successive win

Keith Hill's Bolton side sealed their third consecutive win after taking care of Fleetwood Town. 

Bolton Wanderers 2-1 Fleetwood Town: Trotters record third successive win
(Photo by Richard Martin-Roberts/CameraSport)
tberesford
By Tom Beresford

Keith Hill's Bolton Wanderers side recorded their third consecutive victory for the first time since March 2017 after the Whites secured a 2-1 win over high-flyers Fleetwood Town at the University of Bolton Stadium on Saturday afternoon. 

Wanderers produced a commendable display, and thanks to first-half goals from Chris O'Grady and Daryl Murphy, the Whites secured their third win on-the-spin. For O'Grady, it was his third goal in two games as Hill's men took a two-goal lead into the break. 

Josh Morris found the net six minutes from time to pile the pressure on the hosts, and an impressive save from Remi Matthews in stoppage time denied Joey Barton's side from snatching a point at the death.

Fleetwood came close to taking a first-minute lead, but Wes Burns steered wide from close-range after great work from Ched Evans

Bolton, who prior to Saturday afternoon only registered five goals in the Sky Bet Championship, made it six after O'Grady made the most of some poor Fleetwood defending as he hammered home a well-struck right-foot shot on 28 minutes. 

Just four minutes later, Wanderers doubled their lead as Murphy latched onto Joe Dodoo's delicately-placed through ball as the 36-year old rounded keeper Alex Cairns before slotting home a right-foot effort from an obscure angle. 

Fleetwood's top scorer, Paddy Madden, headed his effort over the bar right on the strike of half-time from close-range. Madden was substituted on the hour as Barton rang the changes in the second period. 

Late lifeline 

Town substitute, Morris, gave Barton's side some hope late on as he found the net in the 86th minute, but Bolton held on defiantly, although they still remain 15 points from safety with three games-in-hand. 

Bolton Wanderers: Matthews, Emmanuel, Zouma, Wright, Chicksen, Dodoo, L.Murphy, Lowe (c), Verlinden (Politic, 55'), D.Murphy, O'Grady. 

Fleetwood Town: Cairns, Andrew, Dunne, Souttar, Coyle, Dempsey, Rossiter (McAleny, 60'), Coutts (c), Burns (Hunter, 60'), Evans, Madden (Morris, 61'). 

Attendance: 12,756