Parkinson suffering Dyer times at Macron
LLOYD DYER scored the only goal of the game as Burton moved off the foot of the Championship with a precious victory at fellow strugglers Bolton.
The experienced winger fired in his fourth goal of the season midway through the first half to lift Burton above Phil Parkinson’s Bolton team in the standings, with Birmingham now bottom.
This was only the second time the teams had met, with their only previous fixture in the Capital One Cup two years ago producing an identical result to this one.
Wanderers started well enough with a shot inside the opening minute from Will Buckley that Stephen Bywater turned aside.
Buckley had another chance in the 18th minute but again Bywater was equal to it, while at the other end, Dyer saw his shot saved by Ben Alnwick.
A free-kick conceded by Mark Beevers for a foul on former Bolton midfielder Marvin Sordell led to the visitors going in front in the 23rd minute.
The hosts cleared the ball but only to Dyer lurking on the edge of the area and he drove it back left-footed through a ruck of players into the net.
Wanderers twice came close to equalising at the start of the second period, first when David Wheater’s header from Josh Vela’s corner crashed off the bar.
The rebound fell to Darren Pratley, whose shot was bundled away for a corner by several defenders.
Sammy Ameobi continued to be the man most likely to make a Bolton breakthrough and he tested Bywater again with 14 minutes left but that was as close as Parkinson’s men came to finding an equaliser.
Burton assistant boss Andy Garner said of Dyer’s goal: “I was quite shocked when it went in. Usually with our lads it’s 20 yards over.
“But seriously, there was something in the air today that made me just fancy it and over the 90 minutes I think we deserved it.”
Bolton boss Parkinson said: “It is a huge disappointment because it’s a game we expected to win.”