Wigan v Bolton - Live!

02 May 2009 14:09
Thank you for joining me today for this live minute-by-minute commentary. I hope you enjoy the rest of your Saturday and I look forward to seeing you back here next weekend as the season takes another step towards its climax.[LNB]90+4 That's it. The final whistle goes and both teams have to settle for a clean sheet and a point. Full time here at the JJB and it is 0-0.[LNB]90+3 At the other end there is a big penalty shout. Boyce went shoulder-to-shoulder with Davies inside the area but the referee waves play away.[LNB]90+2 It falls in the middle of the Bolton box but nobodyt makes a move towards it. Valencia is hesitant and the chance goes.[LNB]90+2 Steinsson concedes a throw-in on the far side of the pitch on the Wigan left wing.[LNB]90+1 There will be 4 minutes of added time.[LNB]90 Valencia tees up Cattermole from 25 yards, but the finish is awful. It is coming across his body but that is no excuse for firing it into the second tier.[LNB]89 There will be at least three minutes of injury time, I assume.[LNB]89 Samuel takes a Bolton throw-in short to Taylor, but his diagonal ball is straight to Kirkland who catches it without any pressure from a yellow shirt.[LNB]87 N'Zogbia's run earns Wigan a corner-kick, but the corner does not clear the front man. That is poor and several fans start leaving the ground.[LNB]86 Elmander raises his foot too high trying to control a bouncing ball in the box. He catches Zaki in the face and Wigan will have a free-kick inside the penalty area which Kirkland will take.[LNB]85 Valencia has Zaki at the back post but he goes for goal himself and selfishly fires wide. Zaki kicks the post in frustration.[LNB]84 Taylor chips a ball to Steinsson who whips an inviting ball into the 6-yard box. Davies climbs well and heads it towards the goal. Kirkland tips it onto the bar, but the whistle blows for Davies climbing over Bramble.[LNB]83 Riga tries to find Elmander from the right wing, but Bramble inside the penalty box does enough to intercept it and smuggle it away.[LNB]82 Riga receives the ball from Steinsson and Cattermole pulls the substitute down on the half-way line. Cynical and deserving of the yellow card.[LNB]80 N'Zogbia crosses the ball with his left foot into Brown. he is unmarked on the penalty spot and he directs it wide of Jaaskelainen's right post. Another great chance and he should have done much, much better. Still 0-0.[LNB]78 Mustapha Riga replaces Tamir Cohen for the final 12 minutes.[LNB]77 Cahill finds Samuel with a cross-field pass. The ball back into the box is hit against Bramble by his fellow defender Edman and Taylor fires over the bar from 10 yards out. He will be very disappointed that he never worked Kirkland.[LNB]76 Zaki wins his side a free-kick with a comic fall. There was contact, but not enough to make the Egyptian hit the floor like that.[LNB]75 It is Mido who comes off for Amr Zaki, who receives a mixed reception from these Wigan fans.[LNB]74 Zaki is warming up on the touchline here. Will he replace Mido?[LNB]73 Elmander breaks down the Bolton left wing. He skips between Boyce and Valencia but Bramble moves over from the centre of defence to clear the ball.[LNB]72 Taylor is booked for dragging back Valencia.[LNB]71 Space opens up for Michael Brown as he slices his shot wide of Jaaskelainen's left upright. It all came from good work between Mido and Rodallega who had found Edman on the left flank.[LNB]70 20 minutes to go at the JJB and it is amazing that there hasn't been a goal today.[LNB]69 This is Bolton's best passage of play but, like Wigan in the first half, they can't convert it into a goal.[LNB]68 Elmander cuts inside on to his left foot and it takes a wicked deflection off of Bramble. Kirkland is stranded. From the resulting corner, Cohen heads it over the crossbar from just two yards out.[LNB]66 O'Brien goes off to receive a spot of treatment on the touchline. Meanwhile on the pitch Samuel intercepts a cross-field ball and carries the ball into the Wigan half.[LNB]65 Mido wastes the best chance of the game as he drags a right-footed strike wide. It is not his best foot, but you expect him to do better from six yards.[LNB]64 Davies and Elmander exchange passes but the final ball is lacking a cutting edge and Figueroa can head it clear. It starts a Wigan break and O'Brien also gifts the hosts a chance.[LNB]63 Mido crosses the ball from the Wigan left wing towards Cattermole. Jaaskelainen comes to the near post and he has to tip it behind because he wasn't sure if Cattermole could get on the end of it.[LNB]62 Davies chips a diagonal ball into the box from the left wing. There is a flick-on in the middle of the area and McCann slides in at the back post to send it goal-bound. Kirkland has to turn it behind, because it was heading in.[LNB]60 Cohen tees up McCann on the edge of the Wigan 18-yard box but his shot is horribly wrong as he tops it and sends it wide of Kirkland's right post.[LNB]59 Taylor's delivery has pace and whip and Figueroa gets something on it at the near post and directs it over his crossbar. I don't think he really knew where that was going.[LNB]58 The game has opened up here and Bolton have a corner.[LNB]57 Davies does really well to hold the ball up inside the Wigan half. He plays it along the ground to Samuel who looks for Elmander with a first-time pass. That is better from Bolton.[LNB]56 The corner is flicked on at the near post but there is nobody coming in at the back to tap it home. Steve Bruce looks frustrated. As the ball comes back in Rodallega rises well but he can only head it straight at Jaaskelainen.[LNB]55 N'Zogbia makes a purposeful run from the Wigan left wing. He feeds Mido who tries to lay it back into N'Zogbia's path, but the winger is always second best to get their first.[LNB]54 Valencia has a shot from the right-hand corner of the 18-yard box, but Cohen tracks back well and blocks the effort. That will go out for a throw-in.[LNB]53 Figueroa will swap with Edman to partner Bramble in the middle of the defence. Edman will slot over into the left-back role.[LNB]52 Scharner can not continue and he will be replaced by new boy Erik Edman who will make his first league appearance in a Wigan shirt.[LNB]51 Elmabnder is pushed wide after Scharner can not get any distance on the clearing header. O'Brien covers and gives away the corner.[LNB]50 The free-kick is dumped to the back post but it flies harmlessly out for a bolton goal-kick.[LNB]49 Play is resumed and Scharner is able to continue. Muamba brings down Valencia and this will be a booking, despite Muamba waving his finger. It looks worse than it is, but there can not be too many arguments.[LNB]47 Scharner has gone down in the middle of the Wigan half and it looked like he twisted his left knee jumping for a header.[LNB]47 Muamba fouls Cattermole and that will be a Wigan free-kick.[LNB]46 Davies half clears an early Wigan free-kick but Boyce hooks it clear.[LNB]46 One change at half-time - Emmerson Boyce replaces Mario Melchiot and he will slot straight in at right back.[LNB] Rodallega came close on a number of occassions in the first half. He is 9/1 to open the scoring.[LNB] Wigan are 5/4 to go on to win this match now with Sky Bet, while Bolton are 3/1 outsiders. A draw is 7/5 with Sky Bet.[LNB] The whistle blows and it is half-time here at the JJB and the game, somehow, is 0-0.[LNB]45+3 Kevin Davies has the ball in the back of the net, but it is ruled out for offside. There might have been two or three yellow shirts offside, but it was close as Davies prodded home the free-kick.[LNB]45+2 Bramble is never ever getting to the ball as Elmander skips by him. One last chance for Bolton this half as they win a free-kick.[LNB]45+1 N'Zogbia turns his man from a deep throw-in on the left wing. He fires a cross towards the near post and Mido tries a cheeky flick which Jaaskelainen is equal to.[LNB]45 Davies wins the ball in a sliding tackle against Figueroa but Steve Bruce is furious that his left-back did not get awarded a free-kick.[LNB]44 Mido hits a sweet left-footed shot from all of 30 yards. Jaaskelainen moves to his right and tips it over the bar aerobatically. Bolton gave the ball away inside their own half too easily and it almost cost them.[LNB]43 Mido flicks it towards Rodallega but Cahill is there once again. He has had a good first half in the heart of the Wanderers defence.[LNB]42 There will be three minutes of added time.[LNB]41 Elmander takes a touch inside the Wigan box and fires a right-footed shot towards Kirkland's goal. The Wigan 'keeper turns it behind with a faint touch, but the officials do not see it and that is a goal kick.[LNB]40 Muamba and Cohen work their way out of a tight midfield with a series of intricate passes but the ball keeps coming back towards the Bolton back four. Is there a goal in the last five minutes of the half?[LNB]39 Taylor hits an angled cross-field pass towards Elmander. The ball has a lot of backspin on, but Elmander still can't keep it in play.[LNB]38 Jaaskelainen booms a goal kick forward but Scharner calmly heads the ball backwards without looking where his goalkeeper is. Very cool from the Wigan defender.[LNB]37 Less than 10 minutes to go until the break and Wigan have not made the most of their advantage here in the first half.[LNB]36 Melchiot, Mido and Rodallega work the ball around in a triangle 25 yards from goal but the Bolton defence holds firm.[LNB]35 Samuel crosses the ball from the left wing but Bramble heads it away on the edge of his box. Brown runs in to trouble and Elmander sticks his leg out sloppily to bring him down.[LNB]34 Mido jumps into McCann and the referee tells him that it is not his first mistimed jump. His elbow into McCann's kidneys earns him a spot in the book.[LNB]33 McCann is way off target from 25 yards after some nice close control to bring the ball down and shift it on to his favoured right foot.[LNB]31 Cahill reads Bramble's pass which was intended for Rodallega. At the other end Kirkland takes far too long dealing with a back pass as kevin Davies put him under pressure. Kirkland wanted to let the ball come across onto his left foot, and in the end he had to rely on a bit of luck to play it off of Davies.[LNB]29 Rodallega tries an ambitious bicycle kick from about eight yards out, but that was always going to be difficult. It doesn't trouble Jaaskelainen, but the warning signs are there again as another cross from Wigan's right wing makes it into the Bolton penalty box.[LNB]28 Samuel digs the ball out and aims it towards Stinsson but Figueroa reads it well and he is able to head it out for a throw-in.[LNB]27 McCann goes in late on Brown inside the Wigan half and that will be the first yellow card of the day.[LNB]26 Bolton deal with the initial ball into the box, but Rodallega heads the second cross behind. It was behind him and he could not get enough pace or direction onto the ball.[LNB]25 Mido and Rodallega work the ball round the corner to play in Melchiot. he takes too long getting his shot off and Taylor is able to block it. Corner to Wigan.[LNB]24 Figueroa fizzes it up towards Mido, but the striker is offside as he tries to control it on his chest, marked by Steinsson.[LNB]22 Cahill helps a free-kick on with a dainty flick-on with his back to goal, but Kirkland watches it go harmlessly behind for a goal kick.[LNB]21 It's got a little bit scrappy here in the last five minutes after a rip-roaring opening quarter of an hour.[LNB]20 Cahill wins a header inside his own box and Samuel ushers it out for a throw-in. The ball is pinged around the Bolton midfield and Michael Brown doubles up in pain after charging down the clearance with his stomach.[LNB]19 Taylor is back up and walking OK. He will have to wait to be waved back on by Mike Jones.[LNB]18 Taylor goes down inside his own half under a 50-50 tackle with Valencia. He stays down and Elmander has to put the ball out so that he can receive treatment.[LNB]17 Steinsson wins Bolton a corner kick. Cohen rises well in the middle of the six yard box jumping against Melchiot, but that will be a goal kick.[LNB]16 Melchiot and N'Zogbia interact well through the right hand side of the Wigan midfield, but Bolton have enough bodies back to smuggle the ball away.[LNB]15 This has been a lightening first 15 minutes from Wigan and they will feel avenged that they have not taken the lead. In reality, it could already be 2-1.[LNB]13 Jaaskelainen denies Rodallega again. Cahill blocked the first shot and after the ball came back off of Rodallega, the Bolton 'keeper had to be aware to get down quickly to his right.[LNB]12 Davies wins a free-kick wide on the Bolton left wing from Melchiot. The free-kick is punched clear by Kirkland but it falls to Cahill who hits a right-footed drive which takes a deflection and crashes off the middle of the crossbar.[LNB]10 Mido heads the ball on to N'Zogbia with a cushionned header and the midfielder cuts across the ball from 18 yards. Jaaskelainen has to dive to his left to turn the ball behind for a corner.[LNB]9 Rodallega cuts inside the penalty box and Andy O'Brien has to be on his toes to close him down and get a block in.[LNB]8 Figueroa takes a long throw-in from mid-way inside the Bolton half, but Cohen volleys it away.[LNB]7 Wigan win the ball back in the centre of the pitch through Valencia. Wigan look very lively so far and Bolton have not had a sniff in the first 7 minutes.[LNB]5 Kevin Davies crunches through Mido with a harsh but perfectly fair tackle. Mido complains and goes nose-to-nose with Davies, but there was nothing wrong with that.[LNB]4 The trainer comes on, but Jussi looks to be OK. He takes the resulting goal kick and his leg holds up.[LNB]3 Rodallega hits the post with his left foot from 20 yards. It looked simple for Jaaskelainen but he seemed to crumble under his left knee as he pushed it onto the inside of his left-hand post.[LNB]1 Steinsson's attack down the right wing is stopped by N'Zogbia and Wigan clear their lines.[LNB]1 Bolton, in mustard yellow shirts and dark shorts, get the game underway, playing from left to right.[LNB] The teams are coming out onto the field and the sun is still shining in Lancashire. It's almost game time. Any final predictions? Email me at ashley.marshall@bskyb.com[LNB] So, just under 10 minutes to go to kick-off here at the JJB Stadium. For those of you who are just joining me, Bolton name an unchanged team from the side that drew against Aston Villa last weekend while Wigan bring in Michael Brown for Ben Watson in Steve Bruce's only change.[LNB] For those of you that are more adventurous, how about Johan Elmander to score first in a 2-0 away win (60/1) or Mido to score twice (10/1).[LNB] Wigan are 11/10 favourites to win with Sky Bet, while Bolton are 5/2. The odds of a draw are 9/4.[LNB] What do you think of the two teams? Will Bolton ensure their Premier League safety or can Wigan and Steve Bruce walk away with all three points? Email me with your views at ashley.marshall@bskyb.com and I'll publish the best ones in the 30 minutes we have before kick-off.[LNB] For the visitors, neither Ricardo Gardner (hamstring) nor Danny Shittu (calf) are available for Gary Megson, although Andy O'Brien does make the starting XI.[LNB] Mido has shrugged off his shoulder injury to take his place in the starting line-up, but Hugo Rodallega was preferred to Amr Zaki who only makes the bench.[LNB] Your referee for the afternoon is Mike Jones from Cheshire.[LNB]Bolton: Jaaskelainen, Steinsson, Cahill, Andrew O'Brien, Samuel, Kevin Davies, Muamba, McCann, Cohen, Taylor, Elmander. Subs: Al Habsi, Puygrenier, Hunt, Makukula, Smolarek, Basham, Riga.[LNB]Wigan: Kirkland, Melchiot, Bramble, Scharner, Figueroa, Valencia, Brown, Cattermole, N'Zogbia, Rodallega, Mido. Subs: Pollitt, Edman, Watson, De Ridder, Koumas, Boyce, Zaki.[LNB] The team news is in - let's have a look at the squads.[LNB] My name's Ashley Marshall and I'll be your scribe for the day, taking you through all the minute-by-minute action.[LNB] Good afternoon and welcome to today's Barclays Premier League match between Wigan and Bolton from the JJB Stadium.[LNB]

Source: SKY_Sports