GARNER’S GOAL THWARTS THE TROTTERS
JOE Garner’s predatory late strike handed Ipswich a point at steadily improving Bolton.
The Trotters must have thought their 16-year wait for a league win against Ipswich was coming to an end after Gary Madine had pounced again just after half-time.
However, Mick McCarthy’s men dug in late on and earned themselves a point from what the former Republic of Ireland boss described as a ‘horrible’ game.
McCarthy said: “I think 1-1 is a fair reflection of how the game went in the end.
“To be honest that was possibly one of the worst games I’ve been involved in all season. It was horrible.
“Certainly the first half was as bad as I’ve seen in a while, but we had to really scrap it out and we’ve gone on to earn ourselves a point.
“People have to remember that Bolton are no mugs. They’ve been on a bit of a resurgence of late, and they are a big, powerful team.
“We didn’t really start playing until we’d gone a goal down, but after that we were good.
“I’ll always take a point from here. Bolton are a strong team packed with Championship experience.”
Wanderers had the better chances during what turned out to be a rather uninspiring opening 45 minutes.
The hosts ought to have struck inside the opening 10 seconds, but Josh Vela couldn’t finish after dashing through the middle, firing disappointingly straight at Bartosz Bialkowski.
Madine headed over the top, while dynamic wideman Will Buckley cut inside superbly before arrowing a shot narrowly over the top from 20 yards.
Sammy Ameobi had to shake off an early bash to the head before he later tried his luck from distance, just clearing the crossbar from 25 yards.
The Tractor Boys went close when Ben Alnwick saved smartly from Luke Chambers’ pointblank effort.
The deadlock was finally broken eight minutes after the restart. Man of the moment Madine pounced to strike from close range after latching on to Vela’s flick-on.
Fifteen minutes later the Bolton hitman almost doubled his tally, only to see his header from Filipe Morais’s precise cross thump the outside of a post.
Substitute Morais was a real livewire and he fizzed a shot narrowly wide, before the visitors stunned the home crowd with an 82nd-minute equaliser.
Garner provided it, prodding home his ninth goal of the campaign from close range as he charged in to convert David McGoldrick’s cross.
The visitors almost won it in the 90th minute, but Martyn Waghorn’s thunderous effort struck the post, and Wanderers boss Phil Parkinson also appeared satisfied with a point as his side just missed out on a fourth win in six games.
The former Bradford boss said: “We’ve not secured three points which is a little frustrating, but I couldn’t ask for any more from the players. They gave everything.
“It was a good performance overall and maybe we did miss someone being that little bit more clinical in front of goal, but I’m not going to complain too much.
“I was delighted Gary grabbed himself another goal. He needed that.
“This was a hard-fought point that we had to really earn.”