Bolton Wanderers suffered a late collapse to lose 3-2 to Bristol City at the Toughsheet Community Stadium on Saturday. Scott Twine scored the winner three minutes into added time to complete a comeback that leaves Bolton without a win in three matches. The result on Saturday 31 October leaves the team with a record of four wins, two draws and seven losses from their 13 games, leaving them 19th in the Championship on 14 points.
Steven Schumacher had made eight changes to his starting line-up following the 5-1 defeat to Middlesbrough the previous weekend. The shake-up initially paid dividends as goals from Josh Sheehan and Sam Dalby overturned Dominic Ballard's early opener for the visitors. Dalby's strike was his fifth of the season, making him the club's top scorer, a status he holds with five goals in 13 appearances.
Bolton's 2-1 lead was erased in the final ten minutes. Sam Bell equalised in the 84th minute before Jed Wallace's cross found Twine for the decisive goal. The result leaves Bolton 19th in the Championship table with 14 points from 13 games, a position that shows their recent struggles. Their recent form shows just one win, one draw and three losses from their last five matches, a sequence that includes consecutive defeats.
Schumacher on cramp issues
After the match, manager Steven Schumacher pointed to muscular fatigue as a factor in the defeat, with defenders Chris Forino and Ben Davies both substituted in the final quarter due to cramp. "I think it's just an adaption to the league and the intensity," Schumacher said. He emphasised his reluctance to change the back line, noting it disrupts the team's rhythm, and referenced a similar issue leading to a conceded goal on the opening day of the season.
Forino, who played 60 minutes in a midweek fixture, downplayed the severity of his issue. "It probably looked a bit worse at the time on the pitch, but it was just a case of cramp," the defender stated, adding he felt good and strong and expected to be available for the next match. The team has a quick turnaround, with an away fixture against Charlton on Tuesday night.
He confirmed that midfielder George Thomason, who was absent from the squad, was missing due to a minor hamstring strain and is considered day-to-day.
Bristol City manager Liam Manning praised his team's resilience. The victory moves City up to 12th in the table.
The loss extends a worrying run of form for Wanderers, who have now lost their last two matches and won just once in their last five. This poor run is reflected in their overall goal difference of minus eight, having scored 18 and conceded 26 this season. Attention now turns to halting that slide at The Valley against Charlton on Tuesday 3 November.
The original report is at theboltonnews.co.uk
