Bolton Wanderers Head Coach Steven Schumacher admitted his side were left frustrated after falling to a 2-0 defeat on the opening day of the season, despite a promising performance in spells.
Wanderers created a number of chances and hit the woodwork more than once—but ultimately left empty-handed after being punished by a clinical Stockport side.
“We felt it was a game we didn’t deserve to lose,” said Schumacher. “When you create as many chances as we did and don’t hit the target enough, you leave the door open—and against good teams, you get punished.”
The Whites started brightly and looked the more dangerous side in the first half but Stockport took the lead through a deflected strike from Mothersille, and added a second late on in the game through Wootton.
“Around the half-hour mark we were well on top, and we said on the bench, ‘We need to score now.’ We didn’t—and they went down the other end, got a couple of ricochets, and scored. It’s fine margins,” Schumacher said.
“We had a similar chance on the edge of the box in the second half and didn’t hit the target. That’s the difference.”
Despite getting into dangerous positions—particularly down the flanks—Schumacher acknowledged his side's end product didn’t match the build-up play.
“I thought our wide players were a real threat. We got into some great situations but didn’t make the most of them, and that’s really frustrating—for me, and for the fans.”
The second half saw Wanderers continue to press, but the game lost rhythm and became more stop-start. Wanderers had further chances to get back into the contest but were kept out by strong goalkeeping and last-ditch defending.
“The first ten minutes after halftime were disappointing. We won the ball back in good areas three or four times but gave it straight back. It got scrappy and we lost some flow. Thierry had a big chance, and their keeper made a great save. After that, it felt like it might be one of those days.”
With a full week to prepare for their first home game of the campaign, Schumacher remains confident his side will bounce back quickly.
“It’s one of 46 games. Of course, it hurts to lose to a local rival—but we’ll take the positives, learn where we can improve, and focus on getting a result next Saturday.”
He also praised the travelling fans for their unwavering support and called for more of the same at the Toughsheet Community Stadium next weekend.
“The effort from the players was there for all to see. We just lacked that little bit of quality in the final third. The fans were brilliant again, and it’s massively appreciated.
"We’ll be ready next weekend—and it’s on us to give them something to shout about and get that first win.”