Bolton Wanderers were defeated 2-1 by Queens Park Rangers at the University of Bolton Stadium on Saturday afternoon, with Josh Magennis getting the sole goal for the Whites in their latest outing.
Team News
Phil Parkinson made three changes to the starting line up from the Preston North End game a fortnight ago.
Craig Noone and Jonathan Grounds came in for Yanic Wildschut and Andy Taylor, with new signing Christian Doidge replacing Josh Magennis up top.
First Half
In the opening ten minutes, both sides had a fair share of possession with no key chances of note.
With 23 minutes gone, link-up play between Hoops players Rangel and Eze resulted with the wide man shooting from range, but his effort flew high and wide.
Wanderers went behind midway through the half, as Nahki Wells drilled a low cross to the front post for Luke Freeman to place past Ben Alnwick from close range.
Jordan Cousins came close for the R's almost straight from the restart, as his speculative strike nearly found the top right corner of the Bolton goal.
Sammy Ameobi was then forced off just after the half hour mark for Yanic Wildschut.
Wanderers came ever so close on the stroke of half-time to equalising, as Wildschut found an unmarked Craig Noone in the penalty area, but the winger's shot was inches from finding the back of Joe Lumley's net.
Second Half
Bolton came out in the second period with a point to prove, as a Gary O'Neil cross found the head of skipper David Wheater, but the towering centre-back's effort flew inches over the bar.
However, QPR doubled their lead ten minutes into the second half, as Luke Freeman's cross found Ebere Eze free in the area to rifle home from 12 yards.
On the hour mark, the Whites nearly found a goal through Mark Beevers as another O'Neil set piece found the centre-half but his glancing header was blocked in the area.
Dutchman Wildschut was a deflection away from bringing the Whites back into it, but the QPR defence flung bodies in the way to halt the flight of the ball.
But on the 69th minute mark, second half substitution Josh Magennis hit a low, thunderbolt of a freekick under the QPR wall and it was too much for Lumley to handle as it trickled into the back of the goal.
With ten minutes of the game remaining, full back Jonathan Grounds lay the ball to Olkowski, who unleashed a rocket goalwards but Lumley was equal to it, as he palmed it over the crossbar.
The Trotters were banging down the door for the equaliser, with a dangerous ball into the area finding substitute Erhun Oztumer, whose deflected effort produced a full length diving save from R's keeper Lumley.
Heading into added time and it was still Wanderers who looked the more likely to score, QPR's resilient defence saw them through to the final whistle.
Full Time
Wanderers XI: Alnwick, Lowe (Magennis 60), Beevers, Doidge, Ameobi (Wildschut 35), Noone, Olkowski, O'Neil, Williams, Grounds (Oztumer 82), Wheater (C)
Unused substitutes: Matthews, Vela, Hobbs, Wilson