Freedman - Decision making decisive

Boss shares his thoughts after Capital One Cup exit

Bolton Wanderers boss Dougie Freedman says his side’s decision making in the final third proved decisive as they were knocked out of the Capital One Cup. 

The Whites fell at the second round hurdle for the second consecutive season, as League One outfit Tranmere Rovers booked their place in tomorrow night’s draw with a 4-2 win on penalties, with the score finished 1-1 after extra time. 

Wishing his opposite number Ronnie Moore the best of luck in the third round, Freedman explained he was happy with the desire and application his players showed at Prenton Park. 

He said: “I felt we did enough to win the game, but overall our decision making in the final third let us down this evening. 

“Our general play was okay and we created a lot of opportunities going forward, but I just felt our decision as and when to make that crucial pass just wasn’t there. 

“We’re obviously disappointed with the result, but fair play to Tranmere for taking us to penalties. They took better penalties than us this evening and we wish them luck in the next round. 

“There are certainly some positives for us to take. I thought we defended well. Matt Mills and Tyrone Mears both came in and did themselves no harm at all. 

“Our desire and application was certainly good enough. We went a goal down in the 45th minute, which is obviously a bad time to concede, but we came out and responded in the second half. 

“We’ve seen bits of quality from Andre Moritz, and there’s certainly more to come from him. 

“We’ve unfortunately picked up one or two knocks tonight, so we probably have to look to improve our squad. We’re at a stage now where we’re having to shuffle players around.”


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