Report: Bolton Wanderers v Sheffield Wednesday

Wanderers picked up their first league victory of the season with a hard-earned win over Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday afternoon.

The Whites took the lead inside ten minutes, with Sammy Ameobi’s beautifully crafted 25-yard shot giving the Owls’ keeper absolutely no chance.

Their advantage was doubled shortly after the hour mark meanwhile, with Sam Hutchinson turning home a Bolton corner at the near post.

The visitors did pull one back with 22 minutes remaining however through Kieran Lee from close range, but it proved to be scant consolation come full time.

TEAM NEWS

Wanderers made two changes from the side who started against Aston Villa last time out, with Josh Vela returning from injury and Ben Alnwick coming in between the sticks for Phil Parkinson’s men.

FIRST HALF

With the sun shining at Macron Stadium, proceedings got underway and it was the home side who enjoyed the first foray into dangerous territory, only to see Adam Armstrong’s volley skew wide of the mark inside three minutes.

Sammy Ameobi also forced the visitors to defend deeply soon after, with his low ball across goal being intercepted at the vital moment.

The Owls were proving themselves to be a threat on the counter attack however, with Gary Hooper causing problems inside the opening stages.

With ten minutes on the clock though, Wanderers took a deserved lead courtesy of Ameobi’s glorious effort from 25 yards which gave Joe Wildsmith absolutely no chance.

Wednesday set about attempting to pull themselves level, but Bolton were hungry for more and Mark Little saw his lofted cross tipped over the crossbar by a back-peddling Wildsmith.

Madine and Vela meanwhile combined soon after, with the latter seeing his angled drive saved by the Wednesday keeper, while Wheater saw a header from a corner cleared off the line with 19 minutes on the clock.

The Whites were continuing their pressure at every opportunity, with them visibly not happy to sit back and defend their slender advantage and Ameobi keen to add to his own personal tally for the afternoon.

An Armstrong free-kick just after the half-hour mark saw Wheater come close again too, with his floating header inches wide of the goalmouth.

Some heroic defending by Wanderers with seven minutes of the first period remaining saw the visitors denied an equaliser however, with Mark Beevers somehow heading the ball off the line with it seeming as though Adam Reach was certain to score.

Parkinson’s men did throw men forward during the final minutes of the second half, but come the break, they lead courtesy of Ameobi’s pearl of an effort.

SECOND HALF

The visitors made a double substitution at half time as they looked for a route back in to the game and were handed an opportunity within 30 seconds of the restart with a free-kick in a promising position, but the eventual shot was straight into the Bolton wall.

And in line with their attacking substitutions, Wednesday enjoyed a period of pressure with a succession of corners ultimately proving fruitless.

Jordan Rhodes spurned a glorious chance for the Owls too with 56 minutes on the clock, with him unable to turn the ball home at the back post with Alnwick stranded.

The frontman was causing numerous problems for the Whites, with Alnwick spilling his header moments later and his defenders clearing away the danger.

Bolton themselves were then gifted the best opportunity possible to double their advantage, but Vela's shot was deflected away from the goalmouth at the death.

From the resulting corner however, Bolton did get their second of the afternoon with Filipe Morais' set-piece being turned home by Hutchinson.

And it was almost three a minute later, but Madine somehow smashed his effort from four yards against the post with the goal at his mercy.

Macron Stadium was rocking, but out of nowhere the visitors pulled a goal back through Lee with 22 minutes to go, with Morais being booked for handling Rhodes' initial effort before the former turned it home.

Bolton's two-goal advantage was almost immediately restored however, with Morais' long range effort being tipped over by Wildsmith.

It was absolute bedlam at BL6, with another chance going begging for the Owls and having to be cleared off the line.

Alnwick was called upon again with 13 minutes to go, somehow keeping out substitute Lucas Joao's effort.

Nails were being bitten around Macron Stadium, while Bolton again came close with Madine being denied and Wheater seeing a header cleared off the line with ten minutes to go.

And heading into the final stages of the clash, the tempo wasn't for letting up.

With two minutes left, goalscorer Lee went down in the area, but referee David Coote brandished the Wednesday man with a yellow card for simulation.

And with six minutes added on, it was all hands to the pump for Wanderers and they almost had a third with Noone's header flying narrowly over from close range.

An injury to Rhodes however halted play, with the Owls man being stretchered from the field of play to leave the visitors down to ten for the final few minutes.

Try as Wednesday might however, they just couldn't break Wanderers down and come full time, Bolton had the points.

FULL TIME

Read Time: 5 mins