Source: Daily_Mail
Coyle salutes Klasnic's character after Croatian striker nets winner in FA Cup tie
Owen Coyle praised Ivan Klasnic's character after the Croatia striker put the pressures of a police investigation behind him to fire Bolton into the FA Cup quarter-finals.[LNB]Klasnic scored the winner in Wednesday's fourth-round replay against Wigan and he was on target again on Sunday as Bolton beat Fulham 1-0 at Craven Cottage to book a trip to Birmingham.[LNB]Greater Manchester Police have confirmed that Klasnic will not face charges over the alleged rape of a teenage girl, following an investigation dating back to October.[LNB]Coyle, the Bolton manager, said: 'We are delighted the news broke there would be no case to answer.[LNB] Winner: Ivan Klasnic (centre) celebrates scoring the goal that put Bolton into the FA Cup sixth round[LNB] 'We knew from the outset he had done nothing wrong. Ivan was in a bad position because we couldn't really say anything because of the extent of what was involved.[LNB]'A lot of people look up to Ivan because of his fanbase in Croatia and Germany and the level he has always played at.[LNB]'It was horrible for him that they would have to read that, particularly when he was totally innocent.[LNB]'He has tried to deal with it with a smile on his face. He probably felt his family were hurt more than himself because he knew he had done nothing wrong.[LNB]'We are glad it is away and hopefully we can see the best of Ivan now in the run-in.[LNB]Thumbs-up: Owen Coyle salutes the Bolton fans after the final whistle at Craven Cottage[LNB] 'Ivan is a natural goalscorer. There is still more to come from him.'[LNB]Bolton have not graced the FA Cup final since the late, great Nat Lofthouse scored twice to beat Manchester United in 1958. They have now taken two significant steps in the space of a week.[LNB]Coyle felt Bolton deserved their victory at Fulham today and he is relishing a clash with Birmingham, a tie he vowed to attack from the outset.[LNB]'It was a hard-fought game. Fulham have been in terrific form. We had to be at our best to win the game and I thought every player was terrific,' Coyle said.[LNB]'We scored a very good goal and looked a threat on the counter-attack. We were under pressure at times from a very good Fulham side but we dealt with that.[LNB]'Over the piece there is no doubting Bolton deserved to win.[LNB]'We are delighted to be in the quarter-finals. Alex (McLeish, the Blues manager) is a friend of mine and somebody I have a lot of time for.[LNB]'He was my manager at Motherwell and he'll be loving the cup this year because every draw seems to result in a home game for him![LNB]'They are not in the other (Carling Cup) final by accident. Alex will look to do that in the FA Cup.[LNB]'We will be positive. We will look to win the game at the first time of asking. It has all the makings of a great quarter-final tie.'[LNB]Bolton's win today was not without its controversies. Tempers boiled over in the second half with an off-the-ball clash between Chris Baird and Martin Petrov.[LNB]Both men were fortunate to only be booked as Petrov appeared to catch Baird with a flailing arm and the Fulham defender responded by shoving the Bolton winger in the face.[LNB]Fulham manager Mark Hughes was critical of referee Stuart Attwell's performance.[LNB] Frustrated: Mark Hughes was critical of referee Stuart Attwell after Fulham's defeat [LNB] 'There were a couple of situations where you think the referee needs to make a positive decision and just waving your arms for an advantage can be a cop-out,' said Hughes.[LNB]'In and around the box you don't particularly want advantage. You want free-kicks and set-plays, which we didn't seem to get.[LNB]'In the second half, there were a few decisions we found difficult to understand.'[LNB]Fulham were at least able to cheer the return to action of striker Bobby Zamora, who came off the bench after five months out with a broken leg.[LNB]'If we take the positives, the appearance of Bobby Zamora was huge for us and everybody saw what talent he has and what we have missed this year,' Hughes added.[LNB] Fulham 0 Bolton 1: Klasnic on target as Wanderers book last eight datePolice clear Bolton striker Klasnic of charges over alleged rape claimsAll the latest Bolton news, features and opinionAll the latest Fulham news, features and opinion[LNB] Explore more:People: Ivan Klasnic, Mark Hughes, Bobby Zamora, Martin Petrov, Owen Coyle, Stuart Attwell Places: Birmingham, Germany, Croatia
