League leaders Portsmouth thrashed helpless Reading 4-1, putting on yet another brilliant attacking performance. At Fratton Park, Paddy Lane, Marlon Pack, and recently signed Callum Lang all registered goals. However, it was Colby Bishop, the leading scorer, who sealed the victory with his 16th goal of the year.
In other divisional matches, Derby and Barnsley advanced further in their promotion campaign with close wins, but more importantly, teams like Bolton, Peterborough, and Oxford lost.
After playing three more games than Bolton, Portsmouth is presently nine points ahead of the third-place team and is well on their way to securing automatic promotion after this weekend’s fixtures. We examine all of the major stories from the division ahead of the upcoming slate of League One games.
Stars from Blackpool and Wigan secure transfer to non-league side
English non-league team Doncaster City has shocked the football world by acquiring Charlie Mulgrew, a former Fleetwood and Wigan Athletic defender, and Wes Hoolahan, a former Blackpool and Cambridge United midfielder.
This past weekend, the club announced the additions on its social media channels. Ross McCormack, a former Leeds United player, is also moving to South Yorkshire. The three were part of the eleventh-tier team’s starting lineup as they defeated Dearne District 3-1 at home in the Abacus Lighting Central Midlands Alliance League.
Bolton manager berates referees, saying, “It feels like the world is against us,” after Trotters concede points to Charlton.
League One promotion candidates Bolton and Nathan Jones’s Charlton played off an exciting 3-3 draw at home as Bolton twice overcame a deficit. With only 20 minutes remaining, substitute Jon Dadi Bodvarsson scored the crucial equaliser following goals from Victor Adeboyejo and Paris Maghoma.
When Daniel Kanu’s goal put the Addicks ahead in the 61st minute, it became one of the main talking points of the match. Bolton argued that Josh Darces-Cogley might have suffered a head injury during the build-up to the goal, and that referee Ross Joyce ought to have stopped the match.
Trotters manager Ian Evatt said to Bolton News, “I’ll try not to get myself into trouble,” in reference to the event. I believe the first half was a bitty. There were some good sections and some bad parts. The second half was much more our style. We gave up two extremely bad goals, and when you win a game at home, you should win it.
That third one was insane. Even though I talked with the officials, I still don’t comprehend it. To be honest, it seems like everything is against us right now—decisions, suspensions, injuries. Our club has lost four important players: George Thomason, who has performed incredibly well this season, our captain, our custodian, and our leading goalscorer.
Bolton’s next match is an away trip to struggling Cambridge United on Tuesday.
