Burnden Aces

Team News: Salford City v Bolton Wanderers

• April 13, 2021 | By Chris Mann
• Short URL: http://b-ac.es/ad94e

•  
• League Two, Salford City
• 

Bolton can move to within two points of League Two's summit on Tuesday but, in doing so, must bring an end to the EFL's only remaining unbeaten home record.

Wanderers were originally due to face Salford City back on February 6, only for the game to be postponed a little over an hour before kick-off due to a waterlogged pitch at the Peninsula Stadium.

The Trotters would have gone into that fixture languishing down in 19th position but fortunes have drastically changed in the 15 games played since, with Ian Evatt's side collecting 36 points from a possible 45 - winning 11, drawing three and losing only once - to move into the automatic promotion places with only six matches to play.

They head into the rearranged fixture four points adrift of 2nd-placed Cambridge United and a further point shy of Cheltenham Town but with neither club involved in midweek action, Wanderers have the perfect opportunity to pile the pressure on their nearest rivals.

Evatt will be forced into at least one change from the team that started against Harrogate Town on Saturday, after Marcus Maddison's loan spell at the club was terminated by mutual consent on Monday.

Maddison, who has returned to Charlton Athletic amid concerns over his mental health, was substituted at half-time at the weekend and his replacement - George Thomason - is likely to come in.

The inclusion of Thomason should see Kieran Lee utilised in a more advanced position, allowing for Oladapo Afolayan, Lloyd Isgrove, Zack Elbouzedi and Nathan Delfouneso to compete for the wide places in support of Eoin Doyle in attack.

Club captain Antoni Sarcevic is slowly recovering from a hamstring injury and has shown no ill-effects in training, but isn't expected to feature for at least another fortnight as his return is carefully managed by Evatt and his team of physios.

Dennis Politic is unlikely to figure before the the end of the campaign despite stepping up his training regime, while fellow long-term absentee Liam Edwards is currently struggling with a calf strain as he continues his rehabilitation from a knee injury which has kept him sidelined in excess of a year.

Bolton Wanderers: from: Crellin, Gilks, Jensen, Jones, Santos, Delaney, Greenidge, Brockbank, Baptiste, John, Jackson, Williams, Comley, Darcy, Tutte, Isgrove, Thomason, Lee, Elbouzedi, Delfouneso, Doyle, Miller, Gnahoua, Afolayan

• 
• Burnden Aces

• 
• @BurndenAces