Following a drab affair in Shropshire, City will make the journey to Manchester to face Bolton Wanderers, looking to round off 2024 with a big three points, writes Darragh Tracy.
Bolton Form
Since going into administration at the end of the 2018/19 season, Bolton have had a troubled time attempting to rebuild and get back into the second tier. Relegation from the Championship was followed by a heavy points deduction of 12 in League One, which helped see them demoted on a points per game basis during the Covid era. The Trotters didn’t remain in the fourth tier for too long, and bounced back at the first attempt.
Still today, Bolton remain in League One, with two playoff campaigns being unsuccessful for the Trotters. A 2-1 aggregate defeat to Barnsley in the semifinals in 22/23, was followed by a Wembley defeat last season against Oxford United, after finishing third in the league campaign. Back-to-back playoff failures saw Bolton come into this year’s campaign hungry to skip the playoffs altogether, and secure automatic promotion.
Ian Evatt’s Wanderers began the 2024/25 season with a win in the capital, defeating Leyton Orient 2-1. After a home draw against Wrexham, the Trotters faced a challenging stretch, losing their next three league matches: one against Charlton in London, followed by defeats to Huddersfield and Exeter at the Toughsheet. This poor run of form led many Bolton fans to call for Ian Evatt’s dismissal, but the Manchester side soon returned to winning ways.
Bolton collected ten points from their next 12 available, including victories over Reading and Northampton, propelling them back into the top six of the league table. Impressive wins against Stevenage away and Peterborough at home put the team back on track. However, they soon encountered another difficult period. A heavy 5-0 defeat to Stockport, coupled with dropped points against Cambridge and their arch-rivals Wigan, saw the Trotters fall out of the playoff positions, bringing Evatt’s job under scrutiny once again.
After a 2-1 home defeat to promotion rivals Barnsley on Boxing Day, an Imps win tomorrow may be the final straw for Evatt.
Bolton Tactics
Wanderers have modified their 3-5-2 formation from last season to more of a 3-4-3 this season, in an attempt to get the most out of a squad that is largely the same as last season’s. That system has encouraged more wide attacking play which has suited some of Bolton’s new signings like Klaidi Lolos who joined from Crawley Town. The Greek forward moved up to League Two from Oxford City last season and adapted quickly, scoring 15 times and assisting eight for the Red Devils.
However, their attacking adaptation hasn’t quite worked out, as not enough chances are being created in order for the strike force to capitalise. In the process, Bolton have been left vulnerable at the back, which leaves them susceptible to a thumping or two. You will get chances at Bolton, and if the Imps take theirs tomorrow, they have a good chance of coming away from Manchester with three points.
Previous Meetings
The former Premier League side have a good record against Lincoln, especially in recent years. The Imps last win over the Trotters came in 2020, a season Bolton were in disarray, as a John Akinde brace helped the Imps to a 5-1 win over the Wanderers. Since, the Manchester outfit have won five of the last six outings, with the other being a 1-1 draw at Sincil Bank.
This fixture last season took place on the opening day, in a game in which Bolton won comfortably 3-0. Our most recent encounter came at Sincil Bank where an Eoin Toal header in the 89th minute secured the spoils for Wanderers. Here’s hoping the outcome will be different tomorrow to end 2024 on a high!
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