BROKE BOLTON BOUNCE BACK
BoLTon Wanderers returned to the Championship at the first time of asking after this nerveless finalday victory.
Goals from Jem Karacan, David Wheater and adam le Fondre — a trio with Premier League experience — ensured a club who had been plunging down the divisions and beset by financial problems reversed the momentum with automatic promotion from League one.
effectively needing a point to seal the runners- up place behind champions sheffield United — because of an eight-goal advantage on goal difference over third-placed Fleetwood — they took care of business with their on- field professionalism.
off the pitch, there have been problems, with players and staff paid late on more than one occasion. There is also a windingup petition following a £5million loan by finance company Blumarble to Dean Holdsworth’s sports shield to complete a takeover with chairman Ken anderson last year.
anderson agreed to buy Holdsworth’s remaining shares last month but the deal is yet to be completed, and a High Court date has been set for may 22.
more than half the Bolton squad are out of contract at the end of next month but manager Phil Parkinson, who quit Bradford to take over at the macron stadium last summer, beamed: ‘We’ve had lots of things thrown at us through the year and we’ve just concentrateddo week kept in, our weekon heads whatout downandwe had we’veandto got our rewards in the end.’
Five years after dropping out of the top flight, and 12 months after finishing bottom of the second tier, Bolton were clinical in front of goal on their big day.
‘We weren’t good,’ said Peterborough boss Grant mcCann, and it only took 20 minutes for his side to fall behind.
Dorian Dervite’s quality cross was lashed into the corner by Karacan to lift the 22,590 crowd to their feet. Then, after a Peterborough purple patch before nichols half- twice time fluffed when chances, Tom centre back Wheater confirmed himself as the club’s joint-top scorer by heading his ninth league goal of the season at the far post. Le Fondre, provider of the second with a headed assist, finished Josh Vela’s through ball to claim the third and cue the celebrations. some of them proved premature as hundreds of home fans invaded the pitch in injury time, before referee scott Duncan restored order to finish the game.