- Davies, K (47)
- Date:2008-04-12
- Kick-off:15:00
- Venue:Reebok Stadium
- Attendance:23043
- Referee:Walton, P
Live Commentary
90mins
The final whistle sounds and Bolton have hung on for a vital three-points at home as Birmingham draw against Everton at St Andrews.
90mins
The fourth official indicates a minimum of THREE minutes to be added on at the end of the second half.
90mins
Mullins stabs a shot at goal but Bolton scramble the ball away!
89mins
Bolton are really clinging on here, West Ham are piling on the pressure and throwing men forward!
88mins
Bolton survive the corner, Cahill clearing the ball this time.
88mins
Moment of drama here, Parker worked himself space on the edge of the box and let off a stinger of a shot, Al-Habsi - who has had a great game so far - flies across his goal and pulls off a brilliant save! Corner for West Ham.
87mins
Birmingham level against Everton and this topsy-turvy season takes another twist, the gap now is up to two points.
85mins
Al-Habsi comes out through a crowd of players to collect a ball and ease the nerves of the home faithful.
84mins
It seems as though the Birmingham score has reached the Bolton fans as a massive cheer goes up at the Reebok, this could be the turning point of the season for the Wanderers.
82mins
News is just filtering through that Everton have taken the lead at St Andrews against Birmingham meaning that if the scores stay the same until full time the gap between Bolton and Birmingham will be down to a single point!
81mins
Taylor and Nolan knock the ball around on the edge of West Ham's area but just as they look for the killer ball the West Ham defence come across and close the pair down.
79mins
The corner comes to nothing though and Bolton escape!
78mins
Sears makes his way to the by-line and earns himself and West Ham a corner via the legs of Samuel.
77mins
Diouf feeds the ball through to Davies who flicks the ball goalwards but Green is in the right place and collects the ball.
75mins
Sears breaks past the full-back Steinsson and crosses into the box, West Ham earn themselves a corner.
74mins
Diouf tries to turn on the ball and get his shot off but Upson does brilliantly to snatch the ball from Diouf's feet and hoofs the ball clear.
72mins
Freddie Sears comes on for Zamora as Alan Curbishley takes his last roll of the dice with plenty of time left. He must be praying for no further injuries now.
71mins
Boa Morte races forward, into the box, Nolan steals the ball, Boa Morte wins it back but he has no-one there to help and Bolton clear the danger.
69mins
Campo is far too casual on the ball, Ashton pinches possession from the midfielder, drives in a shot but Al-Habsi does well and holds onto the shot.
67mins
The goal is ruled out yet again for offside and the Bolton fans are furious, they know that a second goal should settle this match in their favour.
67mins
Campo lifts in a ball from a free-kick, Davies heads the ball on to Diouf who turns and shoots, Green saves well but the ball is bundled in by Nolan!!
65mins
Zamora breaks into the box following a great ball by Upson, he finds Cole but Steinsson puts in a fantastic tackle to deny the former Chelsea man.
64mins
The game has begun to break up as both sides try to get a strangle hold on this match...
62mins
Zamora brings the ball forward, cutting inside and curling in a cross but he is off balance and the ball sails out for a Bolton goal kick.
60mins
Corner taken to the far post, Davies is there, surely he must bury this! No! He leans back and sends his header over the bar, Davies could have had a hat-trick in this game!
58mins
Boa Morte tries to send the ball back to Ashton on the edge of the area but Davies is there to cut out the pass and Bolton can break.
57mins
The corner is whipped in, Ashton fires in an acrobatic effort which Al-Habsi has to launch himself at to turn round for another corner, brilliant shot and even better save!
56mins
Boa Morte is free on goal, he sends in a great shot which is parried round for a corner kick.
55mins
West Ham make a substitution Carlton Cole coming on for Jack Collison who has been very quiet.
54mins
Diouf sends a ball through the gap to Davies but the ball runs all the way back to Green who picks up the ball.
52mins
Davies is back on here, the club Doctor doing a fine job to send the striker back on quickly.
51mins
Davies is down on the floor and it seems that he has dislocated his finger, the physio is on quickly to aid his colleague.
49mins
Well, the second half has begun at a blistering pace, it seems that Gary Megson handed out a few choice words to his players at the break.
48mins
Diouf breaks forward and into the box, he drills in a great shot but Green pulls off a fantastic save, diving down to his right!
46mins
DAVIES rises highest from a Diouf corner to smash his header past a stranded Green and gives Bolton the lead!
45mins
Davies races forward and fires in a great shot which is tipped wide for a corner kick to Bolton.
45mins
The second half is underway.
45mins
The whistle goes for half-time and Bolton have wasted a massive amount of possession, a little bit more drive and they could be in the lead.
45mins
The fourth official indicates a minimum of TWO minutes to be added on at the end of this half.
45mins
The visitors are beginning to come into this match and all of that early pressure from Bolton looks to have been wasted here.
45mins
The ball ends up at the feet of Parker who tries to find the far post with a quick shot but his effort flies just wide of Al-Habsi's left hand upright.
45mins
Referee Walton awards West Ham a corner kick late on here in the half.
44mins
NO! The effort has been ruled out, Diouf has been caught offside, the scores remain level!
44mins
Campo bends in a great free-kick, onto the head of Diouf who buries his header! Bolton take the lead!
43mins
Campo curls in a free-kick looking for the head of Davies, he misses the ball, as do his team-mates and the ball rolls out for a goal kick.
42mins
Ashton is free on goal, he lets off a fierce effort which flies into the side netting!
41mins
Substitute Paintsil picks up the first yellow of the afternoon, bringing down Davies who had already raced past the Frenchman.
40mins
The first half so far has been one to forget, the most entertaining moment coming right at the start of the match with a last minute change of referee, Peter Walton replacing Rob Styles in the middle of the park.
38mins
Diouf fires in the corner which Andy O'Brien connects with sweetly and Green has to fling himself across goal to pull off the save!
37mins
Bolton win yet another corner, their fourth of the afternoon as Davies is challenged in the air.
35mins
Diouf whips in a corner and it is much better, Davies meeting the ball plum in the middle, heading it down but cleared off the line by Parker!
34mins
Davies does extremely well to bring a long ball down with a deadly first touch, he turns and lets off a shot which is deflected behind for a corner.
32mins
West Ham bring the ball away at pace but an excellent intervention from Gary Cahill cuts the attack short.
31mins
Yet again the ball is very poor and this time it doesn't even beat the first man!
30mins
Bolton win a corner, surely they must test the Hammers' defence from this set-piece?
29mins
Zamora tries to find Parker with a cross from the right hand side but it is far too central and the ball finds its way into the grateful arms of Al-Habsi.
27mins
Davies and Spector battle for the ball, the latter manages to win the ball and hoofs it clear.
26mins
A raking ball from the left is cut out by Gretar Steinsson who plays the ball back to Al-Habsi.
24mins
Campo lofts in a free-kick from the right hand side but the Spaniard over-hits the shot and the ball flies out for a goal-kick.
23mins
After the high-tempo start to this match, the game has begun to get bogged down, what adds to this is that West Ham really don't seem up for this game at all. Could Bolton use this to their advantage?
21mins
Neither side are able to get the ball down and play it as of yet.
20mins
The ball is sent in but the ball is very poor and West Ham can bring the ball out.
19mins
Upson has to hammer the ball out into the home support as Bolton pile on the pressure early on.
18mins
Ivan Campo wins a throw-in for Bolton out on the right.
17mins
Flowing football from Bolton as they break forward with pace, the ball finds its way to Samuel who fires in a shot but the ball flies into the arms of Green.
15mins
Kevin Nolan brings the ball forward and lofts a long ball over the top for Diouf but the ball is too long and Green can come out and smash the ball back from whence it came.
14mins
Bolton seem very nervous on the ball at the moment, perhaps the level of pressure surrounding their possible relegation is beginning to get to them?
12mins
The game has begun brightly, Bolton enjoying the majority of possession as West Ham try to feel their way into this match.
10mins
El Hadji Diouf finds Davies out wide who in turn sends in a cross back into the box but his effort is over-hit and the ball flies out for a throw-in to West Ham.
8mins
Hayden Mullins plays in a delightful intelligent ball into the box along the floor from the corner which Dean Ashton flicks on, just round the post!
7mins
Bobby Zamora drifts out wide and sends in a cross which is deflected out for a Hammers' corner.
5mins
Matt Taylor gets up brilliantly from a free-kick on the right and drills a header on goal but Robert Green is in the right place and makes the save.
3mins
Jlloyd Samuel swings the ball in from deep and Kevin Davies gets up and powers in a header and Jonathan Spector has to come across to clear off the line!
2mins
An early free-kick is delivered into the box looking for the head of Matthew Upson but he judged to have fouled Bolton 'keeper Ali Al-Habsi as he went in for the header.
1mins
Anton Ferdinand has picked up a nasty knock and John Paintsil comes on to replace the injured centre-back.
0mins
The hosts get the game underway and they must surely be looking for all three points here today in their fight for survival.
0mins
West Ham XI: Green, Spector, Upson, Ferdinand, McCartney, Parker, Collison, Mullins, Ashton, Zamora, Boa Morte.
0mins
Bolton XI: Al Habsi, Steinsson, Andrew O'Brien, Cahill, Samuel, Campo, Nolan, McCann, Taylor, Davies, Diouf.
0mins
Today's referee will be Rob Styles, he has handed out a total of 74 yellow and eight red cards this season from 23 games.
0mins
West Ham cannot move from 10th spot today regardless of the outcome but will be hoping to avoid a similar result to last season when the visitors were hammered 4 - 0 at the Reebok.
0mins
Bolton host West Ham today needing a win to keep pace with those above them, the Wanderers are currently four points behind fourth bottom Birmingham who are at home to Europe-chasing Everton.
Match Preview
With games running out it would seem that Bolton must beat mid-table West Ham United if they are to have any chance of avoiding relegation.
Gary Megson's side were dire in last weekend's 4-0 defeat at Aston Villa, a result that piled the pressure on the beleaguered Bolton boss and extended his team's winless run in the Premier League to eight matches, a sequence which includes seven defeats.
They have not won at the Reebok Stadium since beating Derby County 1-0 on January 2, since when they have drawn two and lost four of their six home matches.
It is all a far cry from 12 months ago when Bolton finished seventh in the Premier League and qualified for the UEFA Cup for the second time in three seasons.
Sam Allardyce led them to four successive top-eight finishes, but under the guidance of Sammy Lee and Megson, Bolton have always looked like relegation candidates this term.
The build-up to Saturday's match has been far from perfect with the club being forced to deny newspaper claims suggesting Megson was about to be sacked and they could once again be without three key players.
Jussi Jaaskelainen is out for the season with a back problem while Ricardo Gardner continues to struggle with the rib injury he sustained in the goalless draw with Manchester City. In addition, Nicky Hunt dislocated a shoulder in the recent home defeat to Arsenal.
Despite their desperate poor form, Bolton could hardly have hoped for better opposition than West Ham as they attempt to end their barren run.
Alan Curbishley's men were booed from the pitch after their mediocre display in the midweek defeat to Portsmouth, a result that extended their recent poor run to six defeats in their last ten league matches.
They have looked certain to finish in mid-table from early in the season and already seem to be preparing for their summer holidays.
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Match Report
Kevin Davies gave Bolton a Premier League lifeline but he will now miss Wanderers' next two games.
The hard-working striker scored a 46th minute winner but had enough chances to finish with at least a hat-trick.
However, a harsh booking - his 10th of the campaign-for a foul on John Paintsil means he will sit out the away games at Middlesbrough and Spurs.
At least he signed off by giving his team hope of beating the drop, but Wanderers, who hadn't won at home since January 2, are still in the mire.
But this was a badly-needed confidence boost after nine games without victory and it should go some way to appeasing the anti-Gary Megson, anti-Phil Gartside brigade.
There was a minor demonstration outside the ground before and after kick-off, but the majority of fans backed the team throughout a tense 90 minutes.
In contrast, West Ham's slide continues. This was their third successive defeat and only in flashes did they threaten to get back on terms.
Dean Ashton and Scott Parker went closest in the second half, but Ali Al-Habsi made two great saves.
Bolton should have been ahead at the break. El Hadji Diouf had a goal controversially disallowed for offside six minutes from half-time.
Andy O'Brien's header from Ivan Campo's free-kick seemed destined to cross the line anyway before the Senegal striker stuck his toe to the ball.
And the touch proved crucial as the former African Footballer of the Year was flagged offside.
Megson was predictably incandescent with rage though Davies and Diouf might fractionally have strayed too far.
Davies also had a header cleared off the line by Parker while Jonathan Spector also denied the Wanderers target man in similar fashion after just six minutes.
Davies finally got his reward just 50 seconds into the second period. Robert Green initially denied the ex-Blackburn forward at the expense of a corner.
But Spector impeded Green as he came to collect Matty Taylor's corner and Davies gleefully smashed the ball into the net from four yards for just his third league goal of the campaign.
With the pleasure went pain though and Davies had to briefly leave the field with a finger injury.
However, it takes harder blows to knock Davies off his game and he soon returned to the fray.
Anaemic West Ham needed a transfusion of energy and Carlton Cole's appearance for Jack Collison brought about a reaction.
'You don't know what you're doing' taunted Hammers fans to boss Alan Curbishley.
But within minutes Gary Cahill cleared Luis Boa Morte's left-footer off the line while Al-Habsi tipped Ashton's overhead effort on to the bar and away for a corner.
Parker's shot was also bound for the net, but Bolton held on and move on to the Riverside to face Middlesbrough as they bid to stay up.
Bolton Wanderers Team
West Ham United Team
Bolton Wanderers | West Ham United |
Corners
| 12 | 5 |
Fouls
| 12 | 11 |
Goal attempts
| 12 | 12 |
Shots off target
| 3 | 4 |
Offsides
| 4 | 0 |



90mins
Davies picks up a yellow card late on for unprofessional behaviour.