Derby County (H) Preview

All the information you need ahead of Wanderers' opening home game of the 2012/13 season

Bolton Wanderers v Derby County
npower Championship
Tuesday 21 August, 2012
Kick-Off 8pm

Setting The Scene

Wanderers have the opportunity to register their first points of new campaign under the lights at the Reebok Stadium on Tuesday evening, when Derby County make the trip to BL6.

After the opening day defeat at Turf Moor, Owen Coyle and his side have the perfect opportunity to immediately bounce back in what is the first of two home games in four days.

The Rams meanwhile, have enjoyed a somewhat goal-filled start to their campaign. After a remarkable 5-5 Capital One Cup draw with Scunthorpe and eventual elimination on penalties, Nigel Clough’s side surrendered a two-goal lead on their own patch to draw with Sheffield Wednesday in their opening league game.

Clough has added a blend of youth and experience to his squad throughout the summer months following the departure of a number of high-profile faces.

Long-serving players Paul Green and Miles Addison both headed for pastures new, with reinforcements coming in in the shape of experienced defenders James O’Connor and Richard Keogh from Doncaster Rovers and Coventry City respectively. Clough also shrewdly acquired the services of ex-Preston man Paul Coutts and more recently Wigan’s Conor Sammon for an estimated £1.2million fee.

One interested party come Tuesday evening will be Tyrone Mears, who for the second time in the space of four days faces one of his former employers. The right-back spent two-and-a-half years at Pride Park, making 49 appearances scoring two goals.

Team News

Aside from Stuart Holden and David Wheater who remain sidelined, Wanderers’ only concern is that of David Ngog. The French striker is still struggling with a back problem that forced him to miss much of pre-season, as well as Saturday’s game at Turf Moor.

All-Time Record

Bolton WinsDrawsDerby Wins
League391857
League Cup200
FA Cup302
Total441859


One To Watch – Jake Buxton

In the club’s opening two games, defender Jake Buxton has been a surprise scorer of three goals.

Operating at the heart of the defence, the 27-year-old has progressed through the leagues since eventually starting out at Mansfield Town. He later moved onto Burton Albion before following manager Clough to current club Derby.

When We Last Met

The last meeting between the two sides was largely an unforgettable one. Stelios Giannakopoulos came off the bench to net a last minute winner in a Premier League clash between the two sides at the Reebok Stadium in January 2008.

Wanderers:Jaaskelainen, J O’Brien, A O’Brien, Meite, Gardner, Diouf, Nolan (Giannakopolous 84), Campo, Guthrie, K Davies (Wilhelmsson 46), Anelka (Unused substitutes: Al Habsi, Michalik, Samuel)

Derby County: Price, Mears, McEverley (Johnson 21), Moore, Davis, Teale (Macken 65), Fagan (Feilhaber 85), Lewis, Oakley, Barnes, Miller (Unused substitutes: Hinchliffe, Holmes)

Man In The Middle

South Yorkshire-based referee Craig Pawson will oversee Tuesday evening’s game. In 35 games throughout the Football League last he dished out 106 yellow and nine red cards.

Fan Information

Tickets for the game are still available to buy and can be bought online and printed at home by clicking here. Alternatively, call Bolton Central on 0844 871 2932.

FanZone in the spacious Premier Suite opens at 6pm, with hot food and beverages available for purchase.
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