The Voice - Match preview League One Playoff Semi-Final: Bradford City vs Bolton Wanderers Thursday 14th May 2026 8:00pm

Glad we agree - now to settle, is it Scot free or Scott free ? I couldn’t decide LOL

 

Absolutely no idea! Haha.

Edit - looked it up;

 

I got the feeling when we signed him that he was a future replacement for Sarcevic.

 

Thanks Susie Dent!!

 

The ref was crap. Clearly did not want to make any influencing decisions that would bring the spotlight to him. That includes not booking Bolton players when they were time wasting from the off. The lino on the main stand side was worse. Obvious foul of Neufville that he gave the other way. And a couple of throw ins that deserved to go to Bolton but went our way.

not to use as an excuse for our loss. Bolton were the better side in both legs and deserve their place at wembley, but its shit officiating like that which enables this kind of behaviour from the get go and ruins the game

 

Oddly I don’t rate Stockport at all, certainly not better than us, ( Norwood apart) but a points total doesn’t lie.Both their fullbacks looked awfully weak against Stevenage who don’t play wingers. Challenor was at both our games with Bolton and saw how we dealt with their wingers , I bet a pound to a pinch he doubles up ?

 

Now the dust has settled (a bit)
Time to reflect on what has been a season far better than anyone expected
Bolton are a good team and begrudgingly deserved to reach the final (hope Stockport beat them)
We didn't not qualify last night the stone was set in January when the window left us a considerably weakened team
Only Jackson was close to being equal to what we have and he's not any kind of replacement for a fully fit Cook
The rest were a complete disappointment on his brief showing for us Mullin would struggle in the National League
GA although not one of my favourite managers has to be commended for getting us as far as he did only my opinion but he should have gone for it from the 1st minute last night instead of the 60th we needed at least 90 minutes to score 2 goals he now has a mountainous task on his hands to repeat it next season he was badly let down by the recruitment team who hopefully will find us players of a league 1 standard during the summer
Can't help thinking Mr Rupp will have mixed feelings as next season in the championship would have cost him dearly
Overall an enjoyable season where the players played above and beyond (in most games) GA motivated them despite his questionable substitutions/tactics
Let's hope the "Transfer Committee" are already looking at replacements for the players heading for the exit door or I fear a struggle next season

 

There are no rules to counteract this cancer.....

 

Also in the second half Powell stood on a Bolton player's calf and I immediately thought sh*t that's a red card (ex ref speaking)

 

Anybody else love that chant they had “whites away - I like it” (to the tune of KC & The Sunshine band, thats the way I like it) Very original and combative/tribe like (or have they pinched it from someone else)?

 

Perhaps that's why he did not send Baldwin off for kicking the Bolton player.A lot would have done.

 

Sorry but without being spitefull i hope you stay down..............huge away end always fill out the away end at ours vs away end under a tent and an okayish away follwing ..........sorry but would rather you graced the same league again

 

How many players have we had like that over the years ????
Sorry but at this level you cannot go in with players that maybe feel like trying today not arsed if he was shown the door tbh ...........had his moments and tbh not enough of them to get away with his arsed half attitude

 

How many of these gonna walk the league have actually walked it over the last two decades or so ?????
Sheff Wed
Leeds
Sunderland
Sheff Utd
There just a few of the top of my head that came in for a big struggle and took more than one season to get out of this level ............a fair few clubs who had decent budgets to go for it this season may end up facing a huge slash in there budgets.

 

I've heard other clubs sing their own version but I'll admit it did sound impressive.

 

I think we will be able to attract much better players next season based on what we have achieved this (last) season.

I can see us bringing in a decent agile striker as well as that has cost us this season if we are being honest.

The actual fact we were even in a play off tie was unreal.

Thought I would be down today but actually I am not. So much to be happy about and look at next season's fixtures. Lots of sell outs for sure.

Dog botherers, Leicester, Sheff Weds, Bolton (possibly Grimsby) to name but a few.

 

Just had a look at their line up. 4-2-3-1

Keeper
Bonham signed from Stoke CC

Defenders
Osei-Tutu 5 years at Arsenal , several loans mostly in Europe . Fee paid
Toal, Northern Ireland international since 15 years old and still is and current NI Captain.
Forino 6 years at Brentford , signed from Wycombe , Bolton offered him a better deal than Wycombe
Johnston , 11 years at Liverpool, loan to Dutch 1st division and Wigan in CC . Bolton out bid Wigan for his services.

Midfield
Sheehan Swansea 4 years , various loans , Welsh International played for them 17 times and still does.
Erhahon signed from, after starting at St Mirren for 6 years , Lincoln for a reported £3/4m after turning down CC clubs inc Swansea.

Forwards( sic)
Cozier 5 years at Arsenal offered a deal turned down , signed by Brighton for a bigger deal. Loaned out to Blackburn in the CC played 22 times in a season , then Bolton . England international U16 to U20. LOAN
Rodriguez . Portuguese, several appearances in Dutch 1st , several loans inc Notts County in NL , signed from a Brazilian team in Jan 2026 .
Cissoko, Dutch U 21 (3) several loans from Toulouse in CC and now Bolton LOAN
Burstow , played for Chelsea in Prem , loaned to Sunderland in CC, signed from Chelsea on a 4 year deal by Hull in CC. Played a season in CC and then loaned to Bolton LOAN

Subs Used
Conway Bolton Product
Simons Chelsea / Brentford loaned to Hull . One season in L1 ( Loan) Rest CC Signed from Hull for undisclosed and 4 year deal.
Gale . Reported fee in 2025 of £600,000 played top flight in Europe Austria / Poland
Dalby Another Wrexham big spend , released and signed for Bolton on a 4 year deal mid 2025 .
McAtee .A strange one, more clubs than Tiger Woods , allegedly difficult to handle . Signed from Luton on an undisclosed fee with a 4 year deal.

Take these numbers below with caution 2024-26 data
Some of the salaries are eye watering according to Google . Dalby £8k , Cozier £13k

Whats the moral here . Of their front four , THREE are LOANEES from CC or above being paid high salaries

That’s what we were / are up against .

• Amario Cozier-Duberry: £13,000 per week

• Eoin Toal: £15,000 per week

• George Johnston: £12,000 per week

 

F

First sentence , good point well made. The bar has gone up a notch.

 

They will struggle without the loan players. Could come straight back down (and I did have my worries if we had made it) with our limited finances.

 

Been my earworm all bloody day....!!