Source: Telegraph
Bolton Wanderers 1 Hull City 1: Match report
With just one game left, Hull are out of the bottom three by a single point and next Sunday is set up to be one of the great last-day relegation fights.
This stage of the season is all about tiny, tiny details and what ifs, coloured by the gut-wrenching context of what is happening elsewhere. With just one game left, Hull are out of the bottom three by a single point and next Sunday is set up to be one of the great last-day relegation fights.
Related ArticlesManchester United v Arsenal: In picturesPremier League tableTelegraph player raterPremier League highlightsHow the title was wonHull City face date with destiny at Bolton WanderersAs the roar from the away end at the final whistle testified, this point can be viewed only in positive terms by those connected with Hull, despite their run being extended to two wins in 28 matches. There is also the small matter of a home game with newly-crowned champions Manchester United to come, as well as the knowledge that they could easily have come away from the Reebok Stadium with a victory but for some splendid saves from Jussi Jaaskelainen.
Then again, it could have been far worse, as with a couple of minutes left Chris Basham was sent clean through on the Hull goal by Johan Elmander, only to stand on the ball as he was about to shoot. Regardless, it all makes for another nervous afternoon a week today.
Phil Brown is not expecting an easy ride against United, even though they are playing a Champions League final three days after their trip to the KC Stadium.
Brown said: "It's back in our hands, having to win against the champions, and there will be suggestions of weakened teams and things like that but no one does you any favours in the Premier League. You have to fight and scrap for everything.
"We were dumped in the bottom three by Newcastle and we had to respond and they did."
The on-loan Manchester United forward Manucho passed up a host of opportunities and Bolton defender Gretar Steinsson swept the ball in from just outside the area midway through the opening period. Manucho lofted over from six yards before Nick Barmby missed with a header at the far post, and then Craig Fagan cleared Gary Cahill's header off the line in first-half added time.
In the same penalty area, Fagan made another crucial contribution a minute after the restart, chasing Garcia's long ball and capitalising on Danny Shittu's hesitation to touch the ball past Jaaskelainen.
A bobbling effort from Barmby bounced back off the post before Jaaskelainen diverted Manucho's header on to the bar. Jaaskelainen then denied Fagan from Peter Halmosi's cross before Basham failed to take the chance to kill off Hull hopes.
Bolton have now not won in six matches, but they come away from this defiant display with plenty of credit. Not that their manager, Gary Megson, was particularly satisfied.
"I'm happy that we're now mathematically safe," he said. "The fact that we've had that cushion to the bottom three has meant that we've taken our foot off the gas and we're not a team that can play with our foot off the gas. We look a yard slower than we were a month ago.
