PAT’S THE WAY TO DO IT Bamford back with big bang
BOLTON 0 LEEDS UTD 1
PATRICK BAMFORD’S early return from injury was spiced with a goal which ensured it was high-five time for Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds.
A knee injury suffered in September was originally expected to keep the £7 million summer signing from Middlesbrough on the sidelines for four months.
But ahead of schedule, a midweek hat- trick for the Under 23s convinced Bielsa that the striker was ready for Championship action.
And with Leeds, backed by a following of 4,500 fans, dominating possession but carrying little threat, Bamford was summoned off the bench in the 61st minute.
Within minutes the gamble had paid off and Bamford – shooting United into top spot – illustrated just why Leeds had invested heavily in a player who was once on Chelsea’s books.
When Pablo Hernandez carved out a gap in the otherwise resolute Bolton defence, Bamford moved in for the kill and drilled low past keeper Ben Alnwick for his first league goal for the club. That made it five straight wins for Leeds – the first time they have achieved this feat since December 2009 when they were stuck in League One.
Bielsa said: “It was a hard win but a deserved one. The goal will give Patrick Bamford more confidence. He can be very important for us in the second half of the season.”
Leeds made hard work of it against a Bolton side who showed the same fighting spirit of the Gypsy King himself, heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury who is booked in for a cabaret evening here at the Macron Stadium in February.
By then relegation could be on the undercard for Phil Parkinson’s team, who have picked up only three points from their past 12 games.
In a late charge, Jack Hobbs had a header blocked by Jack Clarke while the lively Craig Noone protested that he had been pulled down in the penalty area by Kalvin Phillips.
Parkinson said: “It was a stonewall penalty. When you see it on the TV it shows we could have been talking about a 1-1 draw.
“My players left everything out on the pitch. I couldn’t have asked for any more. We just needed that extra bit of quality to hurt Leeds.”
Bolton’s battle to beat the drop has not simply been confined to events on the pitch. It’s been just as grim off it with owner Ken Anderson having to personally stump up the players’ wages for November.
What December on the earnings front holds in store for Parkinson’s squad is up in the air as the club hover on the brink through their parlous finances – almost as threadbare as their recent points haul.
Fo r
L e ed s , it’s more about joining the super rich of the Premier League as Bielsa’s side go from strength to strength – with or without Spanish forward Samuel Saiz, who seems bound for Getafe.
This wasn’t a domineering performance and they were restricted to few opportunities – an early header from Ezgjan Alioski which brought a smart save from Alnwick about as good as it got. In the end, though, it was job done. THE weeping and wailing is over for now after a howler by Wigan keeper Christian Walton gave Paul Lambert’s Ipswich their first home win of the season.
Walton made a hash of trying to stop Freddie
Sears’ 20-yard shot hit straight at him as a slight deflection seemed to completely fool the keeper and it went through his arms.
Lambert (right) did not care how his first win since taking over from Paul Hurst seven games ago came and hailed his side’s resilience
Lambert said: “I had a feeling our first win would be a scrappy one because we have been playing so well and dominating the ball, dominating games.
“Sometimes you get games where you have to put your shoulder in and see things through. “I thought we did that and defending-wise we were excellent.” Latics boss
Paul Cook lamented their eighth loss in nine away games and felt his side deserved better.
Cook said: “I didn’t think we were ever in any danger of losing the game.
“We never deserved to