It was a confident, determined display by the depleted Wanderers team and there was never really going to be any upset on the cards given the way that the visitors started the game.

From the moment referee Uriah Rennie blew the first whistle Bolton played the ball around stylishly and with class against a Watford team looking to build their play from the back with the experienced centre half pairing of Malky Mackay and ex-Blackpool man Clarke Carlisle.

However, it was only a matter of time before the Premiership side made their early dominance pay as Stelios Giannakopoulos and Ricardo Gardner combined well down the Bolton left and the Jamaican's dangerous cross was eventually fired home on eleven minutes by unsettled Mexican international Jared Borgetti.

World Cup star Borgetti nearly added to his tally five minutes later but the weak attempt from Joey O'Brien's low pass was not enough to increase his and Bolton's advantage for the afternoon.

On 30 minutes the Wanderers lively wing back Ricardo Gardner nearly got his name on the scoresheet for the first time in three years but his shot from Khalilou Fadiga's corner went well over the bar of Watford's on-loan goalkeeper Ben Foster.

Then came a questionable moment by the officials as Bolton teenager Ricardo Vaz-Te had his close range effort ruled offside due to an infringement by Stelios Giannakopoulos in the build up to the goal.

The Bolton midfield performed well but notable performances from Vaz-Te, Giannakopoulos, Gardner and Khalilou Fadiga caught the eye on an afternoon which was bitterly cold in deepest Hertfordshire.

Ten minutes before the break the second Bolton goal finally came as Greek flier Giannakopoulos finished comfortably at the far post past Foster after the hosts defence had failed to clear Vaz-Te's left wing cut back.

As half time dawned Watford had a chance to pull themselves back into the game but top goalscorer Marlon King could not add to his tally for the season after being put in a good position by team mate Toumani Diagouraga.

In all fairness the Bolton keeper Ian Walker had little to do in the first half and King's 39th minute effort past the post was the first time that the Wanderers defence had been severly breached in the contest.

It was a different story early on in the second half though as Adrian Boothroyd's side came out of the blocks with renewed optimism as the scales threatened to become more evenly balanced.

Former Gillingham duo King and Darius Henderson combined for the Hornets but keeper Walker eventually clawed the ball to safety after the target man Henderson had risen well at the far post.

King produced a shot on the turn from the edge of the area on 50 minutes in an attempt which was nervously cleared behind by the Wanderers captain for the day Gardner.

This twenty minute spell by Watford was their best of the game overall but the lack of service to the front two and dangerman Anthony McNamee meant that they could not hurt the Trotters.

On 73 minutes the game was effectively over with as the lively Bolton forward Vaz-Te picked the ball up on the half way line and produced a shot from a good 25-yards which went in off the post.

Bolton began to relax again for the final quarter of an hour and the impressive Fadiga was substituted and replaced by the Polish youth defender Jarek Fojut who was making his first senior appearance in Wanderers colours.

Fojut took up a place in midfield for a few minutes after his arrival but then was moved back into his normal defensive role as visiting manager Sam Allardyce introduced a second debutant in the shape of seventeen year old midfielder Robert Sissons, an England youth international.

Clarke Carlisle fired over in the dying moments for Watford as the Wanderers introduced their third and final substitution in the most bizarre of circumstances as Bolton-born goalkeeper Sam Ashton played out the final couple of minutes as an outfield player when coming on for Borgetti .

This was a good win for the Trotters as they now go into the hat for tommorow's fourth round draw as well as putting a few weeks of disappointment and distruption firmly in the past.

Bolton Wanderers: Ian Walker, Joey O'Brien, Tal Ben-Haim, Bruno N'Gotty (Robert Sissons), Ricardo Gardner, Jay-Jay Okocha, Hidetoshi Nakata, Khalilou Fadiga (Jarostaw Fojut), Stelios Giannakopoulos, Jared Borgetti (Sam Ashton), Ricardo Vaz-Te

Subs Not Used: Bedi Buval, James Sinclair

Watford: Ben Foster, Lloyd Doyley, Clarke Carlisle, Malky Mackay, Jordan Stewart, Chris Eagles, Gavin Mahon, Toumani Diagouraga, Anthony McNamee, Darius Henderson (Ben Gill), Marlon King

Subs Not Used: Alec Chamberlain, Jay DeMerit, Joel Grant, Hameur Bouazza

Attendance:

13,239

Referee:

Uriah Rennie

Booked

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