Match Reports BWFC v Watford Sat 9th September 2006

Nic's Debut...... Take A Chance? More Like Get Out Of Jail Free!

Well a last minute penalty from Speedo saved the day after Watford had put in a good performance equal to that of our boys.

An uneventful first half on the whole. Nic had his first chance in a Wanderers shirt but Campo's superb pass resulted in an Anelka miss. Nicky Hunt had a good go - at scoring an own goal.... and things started to look up when he was replaced by Vaz te. The sea was silent as ever.

Anelka went off at 70 minutes to make way for Idan Tal. Not the kind of start we had hoped for.... I'll not mention AJ's performance at Liverpool earlier!

Watford rattled our woodwork a couple of times but it all happened in the last minute when Idal Tal was brought down in the box. You could hear the sigh of relief when the referee pointed to the spot. Speedo calmly slotted the ball in the back of the net with seconds left on the clock.

So a good result in terms of points, but not the performance we all hoped for. Position in the table at the end of the game - 6th.

New signing Nicolas Anelka made his Bolton debut but it needed veteran midfielder Gary Speed to come to Wanderers’ rescue with an injury-time penalty.

Referee Mark Clattenburg pointed to the spot after Danny Shittu had needlessly tripped Idan Tal.

And Speed showed a cool head to rifle the penalty kick beyond goalkeeper Ben Foster and into the corner.

Israel midfielder Tal had stepped off the bench and showed good skill by jinking his way into the area to get his reward.

Watford were left stunned after seeing efforts from Damien Francis and Ashley Young come back off the woodwork.

Anelka stepped straight into the Bolton side following his £8million move from Fenerbahce.

The home side had a scare after four minutes when Young delivered a deep cross from the right.

Bolton defender Nicky Hunt almost scored an own goal, his attempted clearance just clearing the bar.

Kevin Nolan tried to release Anelka in the 16th minute following a surging run. But the talented midfielder over-hit the pass and the chance was lost.

Watford hit back and Malky Mackay’s header nestled in Jussi Jaaskelainen’s arms following a long throw from Gavin Mahon.

This was a good spell of pressure by the visitors and Francis was unlucky to see his effort come back off the post in the 20th minute.

Anelka squandered a good chance in 28th minute following a superb through-ball by Ivan Campo. He snatched at his effort and saw it go wide of Foster’s left-hand post.

Anelka turned away in frustration after failing to make the most of the opportunity.

Bolton boss Sam Allardyce decided to shake things up in the 35th minute as his side were struggling to get a foothold in the game. He brought on young Portuguese striker Ricardo Vaz Te for Hunt.

It was a bold move by Allardyce but one he obviously felt was necessary given the way his team had started.

Vaz Te almost made an immediate impact. He turned quickly in the 39th minute only for his shot from close range to clear the bar. Bolton began to look dynamic and three minutes later Abdoulaye Faye’s header went close following a corner from El-Hadji Diouf.

Then in stoppage time the lively Vaz Te rattled a lob just wide of the post.

Bolton picked up the pace at the start of the second half and looked more assured than they did in the early stages.

Diouf found space down the right in the 54th minute and whipped in a cross that was scrambled away to safety.

Anelka was always looking for the ball and the fans were quickly warming to him.

Unfortunately for Bolton it was an another low gate compared to previous seasons with a crowd of just 21,000.

Anelka then tested Foster in the 57th minute turning quickly to fire in a shot the goalkeeper did well to parry.

However play switched back down the other end two minutes later when Darius Henderson steered a header wide of the post.

Anelka was beginning to run out of steam and replaced by Tal in the 71st minute.

Vaz Te then found the net but his effort was disallowed for offside.

Young effort’s came back off the bar and Marlon King sent a shot wide of the target with Bolton back-pedalling.

Mackay could have sealed victory but his header went over the top.

Then Speed secured the points for Bolton, leaving Watford still looking for their first league win.
 

Now for Sam's turn.........

Big Sam got a glimpse of the future - and liked what he saw. After investing £8million on Nicolas Anelka last month and believes he will be one of the best signings of the summer.

The French striker marked his debut with a win bonus thanks a stoppage-time winner from the penalty spot from the veteran Gary Speed.

Anelka, 27, played 71 minutes at the Reebok Stadium before making his exit.

Allardyce said: "I saw enough on occasions to excite me.

"I saw the explosive power of his shooting and what he can do.

"He came off with tight calves - we did not want to risk him as it was his first game for four or five weeks.

"Hopefully he will get better in the days to come as his sharpness improves."

It could be a football marriage made in heaven.

Anelka has yet to put down roots in his career but in the match programme he stated: "I feel at home here."

He also believes he is a better player than the one Arsenal sold to Real Madrid for £22million.

"When I left I could play in only one position," he said.

"But now I can play up front in many different positions, in the centre, on the right and on the left."

Allardyce was the first to admit Bolton rode their luck to take their tally to a healthy seven points from four games.

Damien Francis, Ashley Young and Malky Mackay all hit the woodwork for Watford, just up from the Coca-Cola Championship.

They paid the ultimate price with Speed, who turned 37 on Friday, calmly converting the penalty.

The spotkick was awarded after £1.5million buy Danny Shittu needlessly tripped Idan Tal after he skipped into the area.

Manager Adrian Boothroyd refused to condemn the former QPR defender. Instead he focused on his side's good points.

He said: "It is a real emotional kick in the 'whatsits' but what it means is we will work even harder to get things right.

"It was an excellent performance. If I focus on the short-term, I will be down.

"But there are lots of positives to take into the next fixture.

"Of course I am disappointed we got a result like this but I look at the big picture and it is very good.

"We have come to a team that has played in the UEFA Cup, hit the woodwork three times and hit the goalkeeper four times.

"We will get good results eventually, I know that."

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