With the game goalless at 29 minutes in Bolton’s showdown with Cheltenham two weekends ago, referee Sunny Singh Gill was made aware of a fan in distress in the Toughsheet Community Stadium stands, and the decision was taken to abandon the contest half an hour later.
Despite the best efforts of paramedics at the scene and hospital staff, the supporter – named as 71-year-old Bolton fan Iain Purslow – died from a cardiac arrest, leading to tributes from both clubs involved in the fixture and a remembrance during Bolton’s subsequent FA Cup replay defeat to Luton Town.
Ian Evatt‘s side returned to League One duty for the first time since their abandoned Cheltenham fixture on Saturday with a trip to Leyton Orient, where a solitary strike from Dan Agyei condemned the Trotters to back-to-back defeats for only the second time this season, ending a run of four straight league wins for the Championship chasers.
The loss to Orient somewhat harmed Bolton’s bid for automatic promotion back up to the second tier, but Evatt’s fourth-placed side have the luxury of two games in hand on Derby County and Peterborough United, while leaders Portsmouth are five points clear having played three games more.
As a result, the destiny of the League One title remains in the Trotters’ hands, and they have come up trumps in five of their last six League One home affairs at the Toughsheet Community Stadium, where they are on a 10-game third-tier scoring streak since being shut out by Wigan Athletic in August.
Two Bolton first-team members remain unavailable for domestic duty as they fulfil international commitments; Carlos Mendes Gomes (Guinea-Bissau) and Gethin Jones (Australia) are away at the Africa Cup of Nations and Asian Cup respectively.
The latter’s fellow defender George Johnston is the long-term occupant of the Bolton treatment room, having undergone season-ending knee surgery over the summer, and Will Forrester was nowhere to be seen against Leyton Orient after complaining of hamstring and back pain against Luton in the FA Cup.
Jack Irelade may be shoe-horned into a central role again if Forrester does not make the cut here, but Randell Williams was at least fit enough to make a substitute appearance at the weekend.
Meanwhile, the Cheltenham squad ought to be awash with fresh legs thanks to their lengthy recuperation period, although Ben Williams only lasted until the 31st minute of his side’s win over Portsmouth with an unspecified injury.
Ferry took Williams’s place in the first XI for the abandoned clash with Bolton and could retain his place out wide if the latter is not given the green light to play, while a few players were also laid low by illness earlier this month.
However, Rob Street is fine to feature after concussion protocol, offering further competition to George Lloyd, Aidan Keena and Arsenal-owned Nathan Butler-Oyedeji up front.
Bolton Wanderers possible starting lineup:
Baxter; Iredale, Santos, Toal; Morley; Dacres-Cogley, Thomason, Maghoma, Ashworth; Adeboyejo, Charles
Cheltenham Town possible starting lineup:
Southwood; Smith, Bradbury, Davies; Long, Bonds, Pett, Ferry; Sercombe; Keena, Lloyd
While Bolton have already taken to the field twice since last sharing the field with Cheltenham, their visitors are lacking competitive practice, having seen their proposed encounter with Carlisle United at the weekend postponed owing to a frozen pitch.
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Darrell Clarke‘s team were scheduled to butt heads with Burton Albion on Tuesday evening – a fixture from November which also had to be rearranged – but instead, the Robins face another daunting assignment in Bolton, where they seek an extension to their promising winter form.
Cheltenham’s most recent completed fixture ended with Clarke’s team stunning first-placed Portsmouth 2-1 in front of the home crowd thanks to a Liam Sercombe brace after Tom Bradbury‘s own goal, marking the Robins’ third win from five games and also leaving their survival fate in their own hands.
