Wigan Athletic 2. Bolton Wanderers 0.
By Mark Heys December 21 2005
Bolton Wanderers were sent crashing out of the Carling Cup yesterday evening as experienced striker Jason Roberts scored a first half brace to send Wigan Athletic into the semi finals of this competition for the first time in their history.
By Mark Heys December 21 2005
Bolton Wanderers were sent crashing out of the Carling Cup yesterday evening as experienced striker Jason Roberts scored a first half brace to send Wigan Athletic into the semi finals of this competition for the first time in their history.
The Wanderers started the better of the two teams and looked to be hungry for the win in the first fifteen minutes but a piece of good skill and a defensive lapse turned the game right on its head just before the interval.
Both teams made changes from the previous game as Bolton welcomed back Tal Ben-Haim, Ricardo Gardner and Hidetoshi Nakata to their starting line up whilst Wigan gave a rare start to Swedish international Andreas Johansson.
Japanese star Nakata fired over the Latics crossbar on seven minutes but the first clear cut chance of the game came five minutes later as Abdoulaye Diagne-Faye saw his goalbound shot cleared off the line by Wigan's England U-21 left back Leighton Baines.
Moments later Athletic had to defend strongly once again as Bolton's Gary Speed fired in a shot from close range which veteran goalkeeper Mike Pollitt was more than equal to.
The hosts then had their first chance of the game on 18 minutes when the impressive Graham Kavanagh fired just wide of Jussi Jaaskelainen's goal in a move which signalled Wigan's impressive attacking ability.
Five minutes before the break Wigan took the lead as Roberts weaved his way around the Bolton defence to fire home the opener with a curling effort from just inside the area.
The build up play involving Andreas Johansson and Alan Mahon was just the type of passing that the strikers had been crying out for in this game and it was that piece of quality which set the tone for the rest of the game.
His second and Wigan's second came almost on the stroke of half time as a defensive stumble by Wanderers centre half Radhi Jaidi allowed the ex-West Bromwich Albion forward to fire the ball past Jaaskelainen in the Bolton goal.
After the interval Jaidi had a chance to make amends by pulling a goal back but his header from a Stelios Giannakopoulos ball into the area was tipped over by Bolton-born goalkeeper Pollitt.
Sam Allardyce introduced two of his substitutes in a bid to spice up the game but neither Ricardo Vaz-Te or El-Hadji Diouf could find a way past Athletic's old rearguard of Matt Jackson and Arjan De Zeeuw.
Vaz-Te did come mightily close to reducing the defacit however, but a stunning save from Pollitt denied the young striker a chance to restore some pride from close range with just over twenty minutes left on the clock.
Jaaskelainen showed some good goalkeeping at the other end as he saved with his legs to deny the Wigan midfielder Damien Francis a chance to seal the game with a third goal.
Kevin Nolan and Diouf where wasteful in front of goal for Bolton in the closing minutes but overall Wigan shaded the contest and took their chances when they came along.
This defeat is obviously a bitter blow for Bolton as local rivalry was at stake but the Wanderers will hope for some better luck when travelling up to bottom of the table Sunderland in the Premiership game on Boxing Day.
Bolton Wanderers: Jussi Jaaskelainen, Joey O'Brien, Tal Ben-Haim, Radhi Jaidi, Ricardo Gardner, Kevin Nolan, Abdoulaye Diagne-Faye, Gary Speed, Hidetoshi Nakata, Kevin Davies, Stelios Giannakopoulos
Subs Not Used: Ian Walker, Nicky Hunt
Wigan Athletic: Mike Pollitt, Ryan Taylor, Matt Jackson, Arjan De Zeeuw, Leighton Baines, Alan Mahon, Damien Francis, Graham Kavanagh, Andreas Johansson, Jason Roberts, Lee McCulloch
Subs Not Used: John Filan, David Connolly
Attendance
13,401
Referee
Mike Dean
Booked
Graham Kavanagh (Wigan)
Kevin Nolan (Bolton)
El-Hadji Diouf (Bolton)
Both teams made changes from the previous game as Bolton welcomed back Tal Ben-Haim, Ricardo Gardner and Hidetoshi Nakata to their starting line up whilst Wigan gave a rare start to Swedish international Andreas Johansson.
Japanese star Nakata fired over the Latics crossbar on seven minutes but the first clear cut chance of the game came five minutes later as Abdoulaye Diagne-Faye saw his goalbound shot cleared off the line by Wigan's England U-21 left back Leighton Baines.
Moments later Athletic had to defend strongly once again as Bolton's Gary Speed fired in a shot from close range which veteran goalkeeper Mike Pollitt was more than equal to.
The hosts then had their first chance of the game on 18 minutes when the impressive Graham Kavanagh fired just wide of Jussi Jaaskelainen's goal in a move which signalled Wigan's impressive attacking ability.
Five minutes before the break Wigan took the lead as Roberts weaved his way around the Bolton defence to fire home the opener with a curling effort from just inside the area.
The build up play involving Andreas Johansson and Alan Mahon was just the type of passing that the strikers had been crying out for in this game and it was that piece of quality which set the tone for the rest of the game.
His second and Wigan's second came almost on the stroke of half time as a defensive stumble by Wanderers centre half Radhi Jaidi allowed the ex-West Bromwich Albion forward to fire the ball past Jaaskelainen in the Bolton goal.
After the interval Jaidi had a chance to make amends by pulling a goal back but his header from a Stelios Giannakopoulos ball into the area was tipped over by Bolton-born goalkeeper Pollitt.
Sam Allardyce introduced two of his substitutes in a bid to spice up the game but neither Ricardo Vaz-Te or El-Hadji Diouf could find a way past Athletic's old rearguard of Matt Jackson and Arjan De Zeeuw.
Vaz-Te did come mightily close to reducing the defacit however, but a stunning save from Pollitt denied the young striker a chance to restore some pride from close range with just over twenty minutes left on the clock.
Jaaskelainen showed some good goalkeeping at the other end as he saved with his legs to deny the Wigan midfielder Damien Francis a chance to seal the game with a third goal.
Kevin Nolan and Diouf where wasteful in front of goal for Bolton in the closing minutes but overall Wigan shaded the contest and took their chances when they came along.
This defeat is obviously a bitter blow for Bolton as local rivalry was at stake but the Wanderers will hope for some better luck when travelling up to bottom of the table Sunderland in the Premiership game on Boxing Day.
Bolton Wanderers: Jussi Jaaskelainen, Joey O'Brien, Tal Ben-Haim, Radhi Jaidi, Ricardo Gardner, Kevin Nolan, Abdoulaye Diagne-Faye, Gary Speed, Hidetoshi Nakata, Kevin Davies, Stelios Giannakopoulos
Subs Not Used: Ian Walker, Nicky Hunt
Wigan Athletic: Mike Pollitt, Ryan Taylor, Matt Jackson, Arjan De Zeeuw, Leighton Baines, Alan Mahon, Damien Francis, Graham Kavanagh, Andreas Johansson, Jason Roberts, Lee McCulloch
Subs Not Used: John Filan, David Connolly
Attendance
13,401
Referee
Mike Dean
Booked
Graham Kavanagh (Wigan)
Kevin Nolan (Bolton)
El-Hadji Diouf (Bolton)
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