ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE:Bolton Wanderers 1, Burnley 0
THE RECEPTION committee was as hostile as Owen Coyle predicted but his tormentors became the tormented at the Reebok last night. Around 5,000 Burnley fans made their sense of betrayal clear to the manager who spurred then spurned them, and he responded in the most cutting way possible; by guiding Bolton Wanderers out of the relegation zone and over the club he left behind.
It is now three defeats in three for Brian Laws, the Scot’s replacement as Burnley manager.
In terms of endeavour the Clarets were more than a match for Coyle’s new charges, but vulnerability in defence and carelessness throughout continues to undermine their prospects of survival.
The former Burnley manager emerged through a media scrum to embrace his successor before kick-off and received a volley of abuse from the away end in the process.
The inevitable cries of “Judas” reverberated around the Reebok stadium and intensified whenever Coyle ventured from the bench. Not that they were entirely preoccupied with the Scot, however, with the sold-out away end taking great delight in the swathes of empty seats in the Bolton section and a tireless display from their team.
The breakthrough came after Kevin Davies released Lee Chung-yong inside the area with a simple chip forward and, with the Clarets’ rearguard static, the Bolton midfielder beat goalkeeper Brian Jensen with a thunderous shot that struck the underside of the bar and bounced a yard over the line.
Guardian Services
BOLTON:Jaaskelainen, Steinsson, Cahill, Knight, Ricketts, Lee (Weiss 90), Muamba, Cohen, Taylor (Gardner 77), Klasnic (Elmander 52), Kevin Davies. Subs Not Used:Al Habsi, Samuel, Robinson, A O'Brien. Booked: Cohen, K Davies, Lee.
BURNLEY:Jensen, Mears, Duff, Carlisle, Kalvenes, Elliott, Alexander (Paterson 16), McCann (McDonald 12), Nugent, Fletcher, Eagles (Nimani N'galou 65). Subs Not Used:Penny, Edgar, Blake, Thompson. Booked: Elliott, McDonald.
Referee: M Atkinson(W Yorkshire).
