SkyBet Championship: Bolton Wanderers

Reebok Stadium, Bolton.

Ground: Reebok Stadium, Bolton
Attendance: 17,177

Win-less so far this season and hoping to break that unwanted streak, Sheffield Wednesday were hit with the worry that stand out performer - Chris Kirkland could miss his first league match. Struck with illness in the build up to the game, The Owls signed Arsenal goalkeeper Damian Martinez on a short term loan. On the back of two draws and a win, Wanderers were expecting a win over lowly Wednesday to help propel them up the early season table.

Chris Kirkland manages to shake off his illness in time for the match and returning to the line-up with him is Reda Johnson who recovers from a groin strain. The towering defender earns the Owls an early free-kick when Liam Feeney clatters the Benin international in only the third minute. In a slow start to the game the first chance falls to the home side, earning a corner kick from Kamil Zayatte - playing in place of Miguel Llera, however the Trotters fail to capitalise on it and Wednesday clear. On the 12th minute Giles Coke receives a pass from Michail Antonio and the midfielder fires a left footed shot from inside the box inches wide before Matty Fryatt forces Adam Bogdan into a save moments later. Tim Ream concedes a corner kick amidst the Wednesday pressure and Roger Johnson's header at goal is again well saved.

SWFC fans... 'The Massive'.

Against the run of play Bolton break through midfield and a pass by Neil Danns finds Jermaine Beckford and the former Leeds United striker toe-pokes a shot past Kirkland to give the Wanderers the lead in the 15th minute. The travelling Wednesday fans raise the volume in a bid to push their team into a quick response and they almost get it - Stephen McPhail sending in a trademark free-kick and Reda Johnson heads wide of the post in a busy penalty area. Wanderers sense an Owls comeback and put up a fight of their own, a Danns through-ball to Beckford allows the striker to fire at goal - only for the ball to rattle into a Wednesday defenders legs. Moments later and Chris Eagles finds Alex Baptiste with a good ball and the former Blackpool defender tests Kirkland with a shot but is denied a goal.

After a spate of free-kicks and no team gaining momentum the Owls break and on the 25th minute they are level, Baptiste heading the ball past Bogdan to send the travelling fans into celebration. The atmosphere is building well as Wednesdayites back their team at full volume and when Baptiste concedes a corner, the Owls are expectant. Antonio's delivery is good and Roger Johnson heads narrowly wide - holding his head in his hands as he spurns a glorious chance. On the 33rd minute Wednesday see another chance go begging, this time Fryatt meets a Lewis Buxton cross but his top-corner directed header misses narrowly. As Bolton attack, a through-ball by former Owls loanee Eagles is aimed at Danns only for the ex-Birmingham man to be flagged offside and with that the half comes to a close.

Wanderers goalkeeper Adam Bogdan.

HT REVIEW: A strange first half which saw the home side play defensively against their win-less opponents rather than taking the impetus to them. A lack of cutting edge from the visitors means they haven't taken advantage of that tactic though and with the scores level at the break, it's only a matter of time before Bolton change tact and attack. Giles Coke has put a good shift in the engine room alongside McPhail and Semedo, making any Bolton breaks few and far between. For the Trotters Eagles has been surprisingly wasteful - misplaced passes aplenty and another half like that from him will surely see him replaced. A snack of Quavers and coffee has me ready for the second half.

The Owls are quick out of the blocks and a cross by Coke is whipped into the box only for the referee to pull it back for a free-kick, conceded by Matt Mills. The 49th minute almost sees another Wednesday goal - Buxton firing a right-footed shot that Bogdan saves well from the free-kick and when Semedo wins the ball back, Jeremy Helan lashes a shot which sees the Hungary international palm the ball onto the post and back into his grateful hands. Good work by Fryatt and a pass to Helan sees the former Manchester City player find fellow winger Antonio and the pacey wide-man flashes a shot just wide in the 52nd minute as Wednesday look to apply the pressure.

Under pressure? Dougie Freedman of BWFC.

Liam Feeney is replaced on the 57th minute by South Korean international Lee Chung-Yong but the tide is still with the away side. Fryatt is found by Helan with ease but the Hull City loanee sees his shot blocked by the Bolton rearguard. After seeing away that danger Bolton break for themselves and Chung-Yong sees his goal-bound effort rebound off of Roger Johnson and Eagles fires the rebounded shot harmlessly wide. In the 64th minute a visibly tiring Fryatt is replaced by former Bolton player Jermaine Johnson as Wednesday look to add more pace to their attack.

An offside decision against Beckford is quickly countered by an Antonio cross but Reda Johnson's close range header is somehow kept out. As the game livens up Wanderers attack again and a fantastic ball by Chung-Yong to Eagles is wasted when the winger fires high and wide yet again. A 67th minute headed pass by Coke reaches J.Johnson and the Jamaican lashes a shot wide allowing Bolton to make another substitution - seeing Eagles being replaced by Robert Hall, a young forward.

A 74th minute shot by Antonio is blocked following good work by Buxton before McPhail is shown a yellow card for a foul on Hall. Antonio is causing the Bolton back-line endless problems and when he is found by J.Johnson, the former Reading winger sees his goal-bound shot blocked again. Wednesday should have taken the lead shortly after when a faultless J.Johnson headed goal is wrongly ruled offside, how costly could that prove for the Owls? A foul by Baptiste on Semedo sees the defender enter referee Chris Foy's book and earn the 27 year old a yellow card. That break in play allows former Liverpool and PSG forward David N'Gog enter the action - replacing Danns.

The away fans of Sheffield Wednesday.

Beckford sees a shot brilliantly saved by Kirkland when his right-footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in style following good link-up play with Chung-Yong. A shocking decision by the referee minutes later enrage the travelling fans and technical area when Hall goes through the back of Buxton with two-feet, only for the experienced official to only show a yellow card. Those emotions are intensified just four minutes later when a seemingly harmless tackle by Semedo on Jay Spearing leads to the dismissal of the Wednesday midfielder. The trailing leg caught the player once the tackle had already been made, leading the former Portugal U21 man to shed tears at the decision before eventually leaving the pitch.

Bolton force a corner from the resulting free-kick when the ball bounces off an attackers head (obvious wrong decision) and Mills has an effort saved by Kirkland to keep the scores level. J.Johnson squanders a late chance at goal in the 88th minute when his right-footed shot is blasted wide before Bolton break and earn yet another corner. Chung-Yong delivers an accurate set-piece that Mills again reaches, only for Kirkland to again save well before repeating the feat just a minute later as Bolton look to press home their numerical advantage. The former Liverpool keeper is again the bane of Bolton when he saves a Hall low drive in the 92nd minute. In the closing moments Wednesday replace Coke with Liam Palmer before the 'referee' brings this match to an end.

Statistics: (home / away)
Shots: 13 / 15
On target: 7 / 4
Corners: 5 / 3
Fouls: 17 / 12
Possession: 49% / 51%

FT REVIEW: An encouraging performance by Wednesday and an inept performance by the officials. The Owls second goal should have stood and Semedo should never have been shown red. Bolton were surprisingly negative in their approach throughout but had Chris Eagles been on-form the Wanderers could have had a handful of goals. Next up for Wednesday is a South Yorkshire derby against Barnsley (who beat Middlesbrough 3-2 in their game) and that is quickly becoming a 'must-win' match.

SWFC Man of the Match, Giles Coke.

Owls Man of the Match: Jose Semedo & Giles Coke (excellent performances by both in midfield)

Managers reaction:
Dave Jones: "It wasn't a sending off - they have a youngster that should've been sent off and it should have been a goal. Hopefully the referee will review it and see that the lineslady was very quick in lifting her flag and I can't see where the offside is. As for the red card, you can normally tell by the reaction of players and that's what Semmy is all about. That's not his game, that's why he was so upset. His foot has slid across the floor and he's taken the ball. I just feel that some of the big decisions weren't right and we'll certainly be appealing. I can't fault my players efforts because they were fantastic throughout. Chris Kirkland has pulled off two terrific saves at the end but, up until the sending off, there was only one winner for me."

Dougie Freedman: "We started very well and were playing some fantastic stuff. Jermaine scored a beautiful goal but once again at home there was a huge piece of misfortune for us with the own goal. We showed great courage to try and force a winner and had four or five really good chances to do that. As soon as anybody leaves the ground then you run the risk of being sent off. Semedo's jumped off the floor and committed a dangerous tackle on Jay Spearing. For the (disallowed) goal, the guys a yard offside and the assistant referee's done very well to spot it."