[Lord Snooty]

Huddersfield Town v Bolton Wanderers
Sky Bet League One
Saturday January 25th - 12:30 ko

AND THEN

Huddersfield Town v Birmingham City
Sky Bet League One
Tuesday January 28th - 20:00 ko
both at the John Smith's Stadium

After three weeks on the road, Huddersfield Town have back to back home games, with Bolton Wanderers on Saturday lunchtime and then Birmingham City on Tuesday night coming here for the Frank Worthington Memorial Double Header.

Fourth in the League One table and on a 16 match unbeaten run, with a fortune spent on two new strikers, all would seem to be hunky-dory and tickety-boo at the John McAlpharm Stadium. But is it really?

For the moment, I would say yes.

What say you?

As for the Trotters. They lost at home to Charlton on Tuesday night, throwing away a 1-0 lead to be beaten 2-1 by two late goals, heaping more pressure on unpopular manager, Ian Evatt.

That pressure was released the morning after when he was sacked, just in time for the game at the McAlpharm. The club have said that academy coaches Julian Darby, Andy Taylor and Andrew Tutte will lead the team on Saturday.

This will be a big game for one Town player in particular. Our new signing, Dion Charles made his debut for us at the weekend in the 2-2 draw at Blackpool after three and a half seasons at the Reebok University of Toughsheet Stadium, in which time he scored 57 goals in 149 games.

We have the advantage in rest and recuperation in this fixture with us having no midweek game. The same can't be said of the Tuesday night match against league leaders, Birmingham City. Their weekend game is being played on Thursday night, away at Wrexham and so will have an extra couple of days to refresh.

The atmosphere for that game should be a sharp contrast to last season's fixture when both teams were heading for relegation with chants of "You're not fit to wear the shirt", aimed at both sets of players.






Head to Head



Bolton lead the head to head with 47 wins to Town's 37, with 20 draws.

This will be the third meeting between Town and Bolton this season and my third Bolton match thread, so I won't be putting much content in here. Maybe when we meet for the Play Offs I might.

So two games at the Toughsheet Reebok Stadium have yielded quite diferent performances and results. Luckily we won the most important one, beating the Trottskis 4-0 in the league back in September. Josh Koroma opened the scoring in the first half, with a near post header. He doubled the lead after half time from the penalty spot, before Ben Wiles and then Anthony Evans completed the rout.

An almost full strength Town side returned there in December for a Vertu Trophy game and delivered a much below par performance. Klaidi Lolos opened the scoring just before half time, with Aaron Collins scoring twice in the 83rd and 88th minutes to wrap the game up. Substitute, Josh Dacres-Cogley put through his own net in injury time to provide us with a consolation.

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Head to Head



Town lead the head to head with 44 wins to Birmingham's 42, with 36 draws.

They are our most played opponent and have had the edge over us recently. They beat us 1-0 in October with Alfie May scoring, but their last visit to our place was not a very pleasant experience with both teams virtually relegated at full time following a 1-1 draw that was no good to either side. Rhys Healy scored for us, an equaliser just after half time. That was after Koji Miyoshi had scored for the Bluenoses just before the break.

The season before, with Neil Warnock and Ronnie Jepson pulling the strings, we beat them at home in the league for the first time since the nineties. Troy Deeney scored first, in the sixth minute, but Warnock's warriors were not to be denied. Joseph Hungbo scored a cracker to bring us level and then Jaheim Headley won it for us just after half time.........






Recent form - last 6 matches:

Blackpool 2-2 Town
Wycombe 0-1 Town
Town 0-0 Rotherham
Town 1-1 Burton
Town 1-0 Stockport
Cambridge 0-4 Town

Bolton 1-2 Charlton
Bolton 2-2 Cambridge
Lincoln 0-1 Bolton (EFL Trophy)
Rotherham 3-1 Bolton
Exeter 1-2 Bolton
Mansfield 2-1 Bolton

Wrexham v Birmingham (Thursday 23rd)
Birmingham 1-0 Exeter
Swindon 1-2 Birmingham (EFL Trophy)
Birmingham 2-1 Lincoln
Wigan 0-3 Birmingham
Stockport 1-1 Birmingham

Town are 4th in the League One table with 48 points. Bolton are 9th with 38. However, Birmingham City are top of the league with 56 points ahead of Thursday's game at Wrexham.




Kwik Kwiz:

1. Birmingham retired Jude Bellingham's shirt number when he left, what was that number?
   
2. Frank Worthington scored a famous wonder goal for Bolton in 1979, who were the opponents?
   
3. Birmingham were the first English team to play in a European Final, the 1960 Fairs Cup, who beat them in that Final?
   
4. Who did Bolton beat in the first FA Cup Final to be played at Wembley in 1923?
   
5. Birmingham won the Associate Members Cup (EFL Trophy) in 1991, which future Town manager was their manager then?
   
6. With 72 caps, Ricardo Gardner is Bolton's most capped international, but for which country?
   
7. Lukas Jutkiewicz came on loan to Town in 2009 from which Premier League club?
   
8. Which French international became Bolton's record transfer fee when he was sold to Chelsea in 2008?
   
9. How many times have Birmingham reached the FA Cup Final?
   
10. A painting of Bolton's Burnden Park, titled Going To The Match sold for £1.9m in 1999, but who was the artist?
    

[jjamez]

I'd say Ricardo gardener was Jamaican, Lukas came to us from Everton and the only french international that comes to mind is Nicolas anelka

[Lord Snooty]

Correct, correct and correct.

[theo_luddite]

Playing that tried and trusted trick of sacking the manager just before they play us, eh? Seems to work most times that I can recall. Why's it always us? What did we do to upset the Chairmen of so many clubs up and down the Leagues?

I'll get round to reading the rest of your excellent thread after I battle the storms to get up nooerth tomorrow. I might just give the bridges over the Ship Canal a wide berth. They can be white knuckle rides for me on a still, warm July afternoon .... if only I could recall when we last had a still, warm, July afternoon. Then there's the bridge that overlooks Hollingworth Lake and the bit where you come out of the cutting onto Scammonden Dam. If you don't change lanes without trying, keep away from the big guys because they will.

---

7. Useless came on loan from Everton
10. He painted matchstick men and matchstick cats and dogs
He painted kids on the corner of the street that were sparking clogs
Now he takes his brush, and he waits outside them factory gates
To paint his matchstalk men and matchstalk cats and dogs

Now Lowry's hang upon the wall
Beside the greatest of them all
And even the Mona Lisa takes a bow
This tired old man with hair like snow
Told northern folk it's time to go
The fever came and the good lord mopped his brow

[Lord Snooty]

Correct and correct, theo.

[Lord Snooty]

A one all draw at the Stock Car Race tonight. Points dropped by both teams then.

Must take advantage on Saturday now.

[WakeyTerrier]

A one all draw at the Stock Car Race tonight. Points dropped by both teams then.

Must take advantage on Saturday now.

You just know that means we won’t win on Saturday.

[Lord Snooty]

Bolton Wanderers midfielder Jay Matete has been handed a three-match ban for violent conduct.

The FA has handed out this punishment for an incident in the 91st minute of Tuesday's home defeat to Charlton Athletic.

On loan from Sunderland, Matete, 23, was booked by referee Jacob Miles, but that has now been upgraded after the footage was watched again with Matete appearing to stamp on a Charlton player.

[Lord Snooty]

TOWN’S TEAM TO FACE BOLTON WANDERERS (H)

13. Jacob Chapman
4. Matty Pearson
6. Jonathan Hogg ©
8. Ben Wiles
15. Dion Charles
17. Brodie Spencer
20. Ollie Turton
21. Antony Evans
22. Joe Taylor
24. Radinio Balker
32. Tom Lees

SUBSTITUTES

Lee Nicholls; Lasse Sorensen, Callum Marshall, Josh Koroma, Rhys Healey, Herbie Kane and Joe Hodge

[theo_luddite]

Scott Arfield on Bowton's bench