By Mark Heys
August 22 2006

Bolton Wanderers will make the long journey down to Fulham tommorow evening for their first away game of the new Premiership season.

Craven Cottage hasn't been a happy hunting ground for the Wanderers in recent years and they are still awaiting their first win there in nearly fourteen years of trying.

The Trotters opening day win at home to Spurs ended any negative pre-season vibes and Sam Allardyce will be keen for his team to continue in the same vein and come away from West London with some more points in the bag.

Joey O'Brien, Abdoulaye Faye, Ricardo Gardner and Henrik Pedersen are all still missing from contention through injury, so it is expected to be a similar Bolton line up to the one which took to the field for the Premiership opener last time out.

Fulham boss Chris Coleman will be hoping that his side can bounce back from their mauling against Manchester United on Sunday. The Reds eventually ran out 5-1 winners and where four goals to the good within the first twenty minutes of the game.

Ex-Wanderer Claus Jensen could have an outside chance of facing his former employers after suffering with a calf injury but Robert Milsom (back), Mark Pembridge and Simon Elliott (both calf) are all expected to be on the sidelines.

Wantaway midfielder Steed Malbranque has been having treatment on a groin injury recently but he wouldn't have played anyway as Coleman has banished the player from first team involvement.

In this fixture last season American striker Brian McBride scored twice in the first half to condemn a below par Wanderers team to a 2-1 defeat. The veteran target man usually proves to be a handful and seems to link up well with fellow forward Heidar Helguson.

El-Hadji Diouf was also sent off the last time these two sides met at the Cottage for using foul and abusive language to the referee after the final whistle had been blown..

PREMIERSHIP RECORD

24/11/2001 BOLTON WANDERERS 0 FULHAM 0

23/04/2002 FULHAM 3 (Goldbaek, Marlet, Hayles) BOLTON WANDERERS 0

17/08/2002 FULHAM 4 (Saha, Legwinski 2, Marlet) BOLTON WANDERERS 1 (Ricketts)

11/01/2003 BOLTON WANDERERS 0 FULHAM 0

06/12/2003 FULHAM 2 (Davis, Sava) BOLTON WANDERERS 1 (Davies)

15/05/2004 BOLTON WANDERERS 0 FULHAM 2 (McBride 2)

21/08/2004 FULHAM 2 (Cole 2) BOLTON WANDERERS 0

09/04/2005 BOLTON WANDERERS 3 (Okocha, Nolan, Giannakopoulos) FULHAM 1 (Boa-Morte)

27/11/2005 FULHAM 2 (McBride 2) BOLTON WANDERERS 1 (Legwinski OG)

26/02/2006 BOLTON WANDERERS 2 (Helguson OG, Nolan) FULHAM 1 (Helguson)

PREMIERSHIP FORM GUIDE:

Played: 10

Won: 2

Drawn: 2

Lost: 6

CONNECTIONS

Peter Beardsley, Dave Clement, Martin Djetou, John Dreyer, Fabrice Fernandes, Claus Jensen, Steve McAnespie, Gerry Peyton, Martin Pike, John Salako, Mark Walton.

IT HAPPENED WHEN BOLTON PLAYED FULHAM

Ex-Wanderer Claus Jensen was sent off when these two sides met in April 2005. The Danish international handled a goalbound shot and was immediately dismissed by the referee Dermot Gallagher

That same game saw Bolton record their first victory against Fulham in any competition since March 2000 but a win at Craven Cottage is long overdue as the Trotters haven't won there since 1992.

Fulham's bustling attacker Brian McBride certainly likes scoring against Bolton. The American has hit the target four times in the last five meetings between the two sides

Heidar Helguson scored at both ends the last time these two sides met in February 2006. The Icelander gave Fulham the lead with a header and then diverted the ball into his own net some twenty minutes later when getting the final touch on a deflected shot