The Voice - Match preview #16: Bolton Wanderers vs Bradford City Saturday 22nd November 2025 3:00pm

When we are leaking goals the confidence goes which stops us getting forward as we did earlier this season. Getting defenders back and tightening up like we have today will restore confidence

 

Hand bitten.

 

A fantastic watch despite Drysdales efforts. Stood up well in the first half and then we were fantastic second half, the better team and looked like our early season selves again. Follow it up with a win at Exeter and let this be the start of another run of good form. Pennington injury is worrying but great to see Baldwin back

 

Agree, Joes getting back to his old self after the Doncaster debacle.

 

For what it's worth, my ratings

Walker - 7
Pennington - 6
J. Wright - 9
Touray - 6
Neufville - 5
Metcalf - 6
Power - 7
T.Wright - 8
Pattison - 7
Pointon - 6
Swan - 4
Subs
Sarcevic - 7
Humphrys - 7
Baldwin - 7
Lapslie - 6

But as a team - 9

 

Great point at a team that has won the last 5 games and a better second half from us,much needed win at home next Saturday.

 

Thought j Wright was fantastic but Neufvilles form not that great over the last few games he's played, hopefully back to his best next week.

 

8th game ago was the Everton match that we won so it's 1 win in 8. Aside from that I don't think anyone is ignoring no wins in 7 or no wins in 6 in the league, whichever way people want to look at it but it does need some context.

If we look at the league form we're are at the end of a tough run of games in the league with 4 of the 7 being against promotion chasing sides where we've got a draw which are not bad results.

I'm not sure it's necessarily the strikers and more that we're struggling a lot to create good chances for them and I don't think it's been helped with having 4 main strikers and the only ones who are similar in terms of style and strength are Swan and Kavanagh so every time we change the striker we have to change how we play. I do think with the 4 that we've got they are all better suited for being in a front 2. For me it is why I would change to a 352 to get more control in the midfield and it would play to the strengths of them all.

 

Knock a point off both Wrights , Metcalf and the team and I'd say that's pretty much bang on.

 

I thought he was outstanding today especially 2nd half. It's baffling reading some of the negative comments about him on here.

 

A game that threatened to burst in to life at various times but never really did. Got away with a poor first half where Bolton should really have been 2 up yet our second half was probably the best we've played for some weeks.
I think the performance summed us up well, we don't really create much but our press was back to something to like it's best and that's our USP.
Mentions to our back three who I thought were excellent, Joe Wright motm for me followed closely by the ever impressive Touray. And arguably the best 45 minutes of football we've seen from Stephen Humphrys seen he's been at the club,.made a real difference to how we played second half.
A decent point at a place where the home team won't drop many points this season.

 

You hit the nail on the head, the game lacked any real quality, the atmosphere was lacking due to it

 

Alexander thought he was excellent and that's the one that counts.

 

Great point today. Looking back to becoming hard to beat.

 

His work rate today was fantastic and he got back in defence well, although still looks like a bit of a fish out of water defending. 100% for effort today but be honest how many times did you groan out loud when he fluffed another cross or didn't take his man on. I don't know if it's a confidence thing or what. He gets in some fantastic positions to attack but just never quite delivers. But just to repeat myself, tremendous work rate and effort today. Probably his best game overall.

 

Good point. Way better second half than first but very low quality game for both attacks.

That car park at Bolton, what a shambles!

 

I was surprised that Metcalfe started in the more advanced position on the right, with Patto in the middle. It didn't quite work.

Overall it was a great point. Another 5 minutes and I think we might have nicked it, it felt that we were getting stronger.

Two gripes for me. The number of times we had the opportunity to put the ball in the box and didn't, especially in the first half. I felt it made it easier for Bolton being so cautious.

Secondly, bringing everyone back when defending set pieces. I do feel we need to look at this.

The main positive for me was how competitive we were second half after struggling in the first.

 

I'll raise you trying to get the train out of Horwich. Absolute chaos!

 

We're back in spoons in Brighouse by 6. Got lucky asking a group of Bolton fans if car parks by the offices were available to park in and one of them had a pass for the car park, must work there. Took ten minutes and back on the M61. Great gesture.

 

Lucky to be on the first one out even though that was a farce................is ot so fooking hard to organise a 10 carrage train to ferry traon ssfetly back to Manchester ?????
Feelsorry for the poor sods locked out of the platform ................just a farce