Bolton Wanderers began their return to the Championship with a 2-1 victory over local rivals Preston North End. The match, played in front of a sellout crowd of 26,262 at the Toughsheet Community Stadium, marked Bolton’s first win in the division since March 2019.
Head coach Steven Schumacher described the season ahead as an “exciting ride” following the win. He noted that his team had been in control for much of the game and felt they deserved the three points, despite a late scare. Bolton had been away from the second tier for seven years, and this match was seen as a significant occasion, particularly against a local rival.
Match details and key moments
Sam Dalby and Thierry Gale were the goal scorers for Bolton, both finding the net in the first half. Dalby, who scored 14 times last season in all competitions, opened his account early. The first goal came after John McAtee’s left-foot shot was weakly saved by Daniel Iversen, allowing Dalby to side-foot the ball in from 18 yards.
Eleven minutes later, Bolton extended their lead. McAtee provided a pass to Gale, who cut in from the left and unleashed a curling right-foot shot past Iversen. Bolton appeared to have scored a third goal after 37 minutes when Dalby headed in, but it was disallowed due to McAtee being adjudged to have fouled during the build-up.
Bolton largely dominated the match against Preston, a team that has played in the Championship for a 12th successive season. However, Preston introduced substitutes just after the hour mark, including Léo Leroy, Odel Offiah, and Jusef Erabi, replacing Pol Valentín, Jordan Thompson, and Callum Lang.
Dalby had an opportunity to seal the victory in the 73rd minute but his left-foot effort was saved by Iversen. Erabi then scored for Preston with a header from fellow substitute Andrija Vukcevic’s cross, halving the deficit with four minutes remaining. Despite this, Liam Lindsay missed a late chance to equalise for Preston, heading wide from close range, which Schumacher noted would have been harsh on Bolton.
Other EFL results
Elsewhere in the EFL, there were other notable results. Lincoln made their return to the second tier after 65 years, with their first game being an away trip to Middlesbrough, who were losing playoff finalists. Sheffield United hosted Birmingham in a later kick-off.
In League One, Luton secured a dramatic 4-3 victory at Reading. Gideon Kodua scored a stoppage-time winner for Luton. Reading had taken an early lead through Jake Richards, but Jack Marriott scored a first-half hat-trick for the Royals in the eighth, 31st, and 38th minutes. Luton then scored twice after the interval through Kasey Palmer to level the score at 3-3 before Kodua’s winner in the sixth minute of added time.
Notts County earned a point in League One, drawing 1-1 with former Premier League champions Leicester at Meadow Lane. Jayden Joseph put Leicester ahead just after the hour mark, but Conor Grant equalised for Notts County after a header from fellow substitute Emile Acquah rebounded off a post.
In League Two, Rochdale were defeated 3-0 by Newport County. Oldham secured a 2-0 win against Port Vale, with Calum Kavanagh scoring both goals.
Bolton’s victory marks a positive start to their Championship campaign.
Source: bbc.co.uk