Score predictions - Bolton away - Play offs

The season comes down to an all or nothing trip to Bolton. The Reds are best priced at 19/5 to win the game, and 16/1 to qualify, with Bolton priced much shorter at 8/11 for a 90 minutes win, and 1/33 to get to Wembley.


At home this season, Bolton have the leagues best record, identical to league champions Portsmouth, except the Trotters have scored 9 more goals on home soil. They were undefeated in their last 12 home league games, and only lost to Luton in the FA Cup in that time in all competitions. They suffered just 1 league defeat in 17 at home, since a shock 3-1 defeat to Carlisle in early October. It's a run which has included several high scoring wins, albeit the majority of those came in Cup games.


Our record at Bolton hasn't been brilliant in recent memory, though we haven't been defeated in 90 minutes in each of our last 5 visits, going back to 2017. Our last league victory vs Bolton came at Burnden Park on the final day of the 93/94 season, where Charlie Bishop and a brace from Andy Payton ensured a good end to a tough season for the Reds. At Bolton, we've won 4, drawn 9 and lost 12 in our 25 visits. Of the 8 meetings we've had with Bolton last season and this, we've won 2, drew 4 and lost 2.


Championship referee Oliver Langford will oversee this one. He last took charge of Bolton last season, when they drew 0-0 away at Morecambe; Bolton didn't receive any cautions that day. His last Barnsley game was our 4-1 defeat away at Millwall in April 2022, a game in which Liam Kitching was booked and Romal Palmer scored for the Reds. He's issued 100 yellows and 6 reds in his 33 games this season.


The Reds have never lost an away leg of the play-offs, winning 4-0 at Birmingham, 3-1 at Huddersfield, 3-1 at Walsall and drawing 1-1 at both Swansea and Bolton. The Huddersfield game saw us overturn a first leg deficit to reach the final. Only Swansea have ever knocked us out at the Semi-Final stage. Bolton's home record in the play-offs is also good. They've played 7, won 4, drawn 3, lost 0, scoring 11, conceding 4.


In the first leg, Bolton had a tendency to try and slow the game down once they hit the front. I get the feeling that's what they'll be instructed to do again, given they have a 2 goal cushion. I think that could play into our hands, as we tend to give sides 2 goal leads in games before fighting back. As the lead is already there, I can see us winning this one, albeit I don't see us being tight enough defensively to see the tie out. I'm going for 1-2 with McAtee and Cosgrove getting the goals.

 

No idea on the score and I'm struggling to care. Guaranteed we'll concede, more than likely it'll be two or more. Can't see us getting anything from the game.

The season is already over for me.

 

3-1 reds …victory on penalties

 

2-1 to us on the night, possibly after extra time. Heroic defeat.

 

Needs score to be 3 1 to us , to take it to extra time

 

1 nil loss

 

We will finish as we started.

0-7.

The treatment is still not working.

 

Think we have more chance going into the game behind than we would have done had we gone their in front as I imagine we would have just crumbled. Our best performances this season have been after going behind. Even when going 3 goals down against Blackpool and Portsmouth we've come back to score 2 and in both cases really should have scored at least 3.

That doesn't mean I think we'll win, but it's not out of the question, we've won from losing positions in more games this season than I can remember us doing before. Think it was Ian Dowie who called it bouncebackability. Just a pity we have no bounceforwardability.

 

4-1 Barnsley.

Ok maybe not 4-1 but my theory is that when we attack and attack with speed nobody can cope. Bolton were all over the place the other day when we did it and derby were a couple of months ago. This same attacking line up destroyed Sheffield Wednesday at oakwell and with only 10 men were all over them at Wembley. Our problem is that we sit back and defend with defenders who can't defend and it costs us goal after goal after goal while nullifying out attack. Well we can't do that in a play off semi final second leg that we are losing can we. We HAVE to attack and when we do we can easily overrun them.

 

No away goals rule, so 2-0 would do it.

 

1-1 and pull the shutters down on the season.

 

4-1 Bolton. I know we’re better away, but defensively we’re shot to bits. I think a full Reebok will make the difference, especially with the lads having zero confidence.

 

Can’t see past us conceding at least 2 with that back line and keeper right now. I’ll go 3-1 Bolton and a big summer upcoming…..

 

Which optician do you get those rose-tinted ones from?
Joking apart I think this is very much down to Devaney's motivational skills and his tactics/team selection. If he tries to get them to sit too much we'll concede because our defence leak too much. If he gets them to attack TOO much we'll concede because we'll get caught out or knackered later on. Barnsley can score goals when on song but always look suspect at the back. I'm going for a score draw and overall failure but wont be blaming Devaney for any defeat. The guy is on a hiding to nothing.
Rebuild has to start Wednesday morning unless there's a miracle and we somehow get to Wembley

 

Rebuild has hopefully already started with ongoing talks. It would show intent to announce a couple of good signing this month.

 

I think we'll batter them but fall just short of getting the second goal. 1-0 reds

 

Convincing defeat and an embarrassing aggregate score.

 

What my heart wants:
0-4 Reds.
McAtee, Cosgrove, Cadden, Jalo.

What my head says:
2-2
Bolton scoring early to effectively kill the tie. We scrap for our lives with Kane and Cole scoring their last goals for us, but we tire allowing Bolton a late insurance goal.

 

Tough Sheet.

 

Can't see anything but a loss, we're bound to let in an obligatory minimum of 2 goals.

I live in hope though that we decide to get at them from the off, then who knows?