Bolton Wanderers lose for first time since opening day

Northampton Town 2 - 0 Bolton Wanderers 

Bolton suffered their first defeat since the opening day of the season, falling to Northampton.

Author | Curtis R

Stadium | Sixfields

View from the away end in Northampton

The Wanderers squandered early opportunities and were punished when Cameron McGeehan and Sam Hoskins scored in quick succession, securing Kevin Nolan's side their fourth win in five matches.

Marcus Forss was denied from close range within the opening ten minutes, while Mason Burstow failed to find the target when only facing Ross Fitzsimons.

Bolton struggled to sustain their early momentum, allowing Northampton to control much of the first half. The home side’s clearest chance before half-time came from Dean Campbell, whose 20-yard effort curled just wide.

The Wanderers increased their intensity after the break, but only Fitzsimons’ sharp reactions kept them at bay.

The contest was settled in a flurry of goals within four minutes. Campbell delivered a precise cross that McGeehan converted with 20 minutes remaining, and a foul on Michael Forbes allowed Hoskins to score from the rebound off his saved penalty, leaving Bolton with no route back into the game.

Fan analysis | Bad habits coming back?

Pre match

After the match, we caught up with Bolton fan Daniel Cockerill who offered a wider perspective in how the season has been going.

In isolation, Steven Schumacher’s description of this defeat as “one of those things” carries some truth, but the concern among Wanderers fans since Saturday seems to stem from familiarity with similar disappointments.

It may seem harsh to question the team’s consistency, given that Bolton had not lost over 90 minutes since the opening day of the season. Likewise, suggesting defensive weakness feels overstated, with the side conceding fewer shots than any other in the division. This was, after all, the first time since Edgeley Park that they had allowed more than one goal in a match.

Nevertheless, questions remain about both this below-par performance at Sixfields and the wider picture. Bolton sit in an unsatisfactorily low 11th place, still four points adrift of the play-offs with nearly a quarter of the season gone.

Most supporters remain broadly positive about how the campaign has begun, but there is a clear need to avoid repeating the mistakes of last season.