Wanderers prepare for their opening home fixture of the 2019/20 Sky Bet League One campaign, with Coventry City the visitors to the University of Bolton Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The Sky Blues make their first visit to BL6 since November 2016 when a solitary Zach Clough strike earned three points for Phil Parkinson’s side.
Mark Robins’ side got off to a winning start last weekend, beating Southend United at their adopted home, St. Andrew’s – by a goal to nil.
Head to Head:
Wanderers and Coventry City have faced each other on 21 occasions, with the Midlands club coming out on top on eight occasions in comparison to the four wins that the Whites have registered.
On nine occasions the outcome has been a draw, but Phil Parkinson’s side took four points off Coventry with a win and a draw during the promotion season of 2016/17.
The two sides have met on two occasions at the University of Bolton Stadium since its opening in 1997. The last time out, as aforementioned, saw a Zach Clough strike earn all three points in November 2016. In January 1998, the Sky Blues coasted to a 5-1 victory with Noel Whelan, Darren Huckerby (2) and Dion Dublin (2) on the scoresheet after Scott Sellars had opened the scoring for Wanderers.
Match Coverage:
As usual, match updates will be provided by the club’s official twitter account (@OfficialBWFC). We will keep you up to date with the action to ensure you don’t miss a kick – delivering a match report shortly after the final whistle with post-match reaction from the manager, Phil Parkinson.
Live commentary will also be available by the iFollow BWFC channel (subscribe via the website), with the BBC Radio Manchester team providing the coverage.
Betting Odds
Coventry City are the favourites heading into this one, despite home advantage for Wanderers. The Sky Blues are fancied to take all three points by Sky Bet and are priced at 8/15.
Wanderers are priced at 19/4 to register a first victory of the 2019/20 campaign and you can get the draw at 3/1.
Man in the Middle:
James Adcock will be the referee for tomorrow’s Sky Bet League One clash with Coventry City.
The Nottinghamshire based referee has been involved in the professional game for the past ten years having overseen his first match back in 2009 and opened the current campaign with a 2-2 draw between Newport County and Mansfield Town last weekend.
Adcock’s last Bolton clash was in March 2016 when the Whites went down by six goals to nil away at Bristol City, with his last Coventry outing being a Johnstone’s Paint Trophy encounter with Plymouth Argyle in November 2014 which resulted in a 2-0 win for the Sky Blues.
Jonathan Hunt and Richard Wild will act as his assistants, with Robert Lewis the fourth official for Saturday afternoon’s fixture.
Key Men for the Sky Blues:
Jordy Hiwula was the leading marksman in the City ranks last season – he scored 12 times in Sky Bet League One last season, scoring 13 in all competitions.
Coventry lost Conor Chaplin to Sky Bet Championship bound Barnsley during the summer, but they retained the services of Amadou Bakayoko. The Sierra Leone born target man scored seven times last season and started in last weekend’s victory against Southend United.
Mark Robins also bolstered his attacking ranks with the addition of Matty Godden who signed from Peterborough United. The former Stevenage man scored 18 goals in all competitions for the Posh last season.
City lost talented midfielder Tom Bayliss to Sky Bet Championship outfit Preston North End, and Luke Thomas signed permanently for Barnsley after his loan spell from Derby County. Robins has however, added experience to the back line with the addition of 32 year-old central defender Kyle McFadzean who should be a key man this campaign.
Tickets:
Tickets for Saturday’s Sky Bet League One game against Coventry City are now on sale – but supporters are advised that there will be no sales available on the day.
The Club would like to apologise to supporters of both clubs for the delay and inconvenience caused.
Tickets will be priced at £20 for adults and £10 for all concessions.
Please note that only the lower tiers of the University of Bolton Stadium will be open.
Supporters are being strongly advised to book their tickets online by visiting www.eticketing.co.uk/bwfc and to use the Print At Home function which will facilitate with queues at the collection windows on match day.
There will be no booking fee applied to online orders.
Supporters who require wheelchair access or disability seating will need to book their ticket and carer’s ticket in person at the Ticket Office or via the telephone calling 0844 871 2932, selecting option 2 then option 1. Disability access tickets are not available online.
Again, supporters are advised to book their tickets online and use the Print At Home delivery option.
Bolton Central will be open until 8pm this evening for supporters wishing to buy their tickets in person.
The Print At Home functionality allows supporters to have their match ticket sent direct to their designated email address, which can then be printed at home or at work. This will enable supporters to gain entry at the University of Bolton Stadium turnstiles, without the need to queue to collect their ticket.
Tickets must be collected in person if the Print at Home delivery method is not selected.
Information regarding season tickets for the remainder of the 2019/2020 Sky Bet League One campaign will be announced in due course and the club would like to apologise to supporters for any inconvenience.