Match preview: Fleetwood Town v Bolton Wanderers

28 December 2023

Fleetwood Town are set to face Bolton Wanderers at Highbury Stadium on Friday 29 December, and we have all the information you need to know ahead of the 7:45pm kick-off in our final match preview of the calendar year.

Fixture: Fleetwood Town v Bolton Wanderers

Competition: Sky Bet League One

Date: Friday 29 December 2023

Kick-off: 19:45

Venue: Highbury Stadium, Park Ave, Fleetwood, FY7 6SP

BOLTON WANDERERS

The Sky Bet League One side currently sit 3rd in the table after picking up 45 points from their opening 22 matches. Their last match in the league was on Boxing Day away at Lincoln City and the Trotters picked up all three points to go level with second place Peterborough United thanks to Eoin Toal's 89th minute strike.

Ian Evatt's side picked up a win the week before against Leyton Orient who visited the Toughsheet Stadium. Bolton went three goals up thanks to Josh Cacres-Cogley, Dion Charles and George Thomason, but they were pegged back in the second half, with the visitors scoring two in five minutes to make it a nervy ending.

In the eight league fixtures between Fleetwood Town and Bolton Wanderers, Bolton have won seven of those with Town only winning once. Fleetwood beat Bolton 3-0 on Tuesday 7 December 2021, with Harrison Biggins bagging a brace and Ged Garner getting the first of the three.

Bolton will want to keep up with the teams in the automatic spots, and having missed out last year in the Play-Off Semi-Finals, the objective within their camp will be to go one further this time round.

WHAT LEE JOHNSON HAD TO SAY AFTER THE CARLISLE MATCH

“We’ve got to be honest and say we lacked detail, and we lacked quality at times, but we’re asking the same set of lads to churn it out at the moment - with so many injured. The boys are working hard.

“They’re an honest bunch; we’ve conceded the first goal again - we’ve given the opposite a leg-up by a poor mistake/poor communication.

“We’ve done well to come back twice in two games, and we’ve certainly shown character in that sense, but it would be nice to get a goal up and for us to have the opportunity to hold onto something.”

Supporters can click HERE to watch the full post-match interview with Lee Johnson.

IFOLLOW DETAILS

The Cods will be facing Bolton for the second time this season, this time on home turf at Highbury Stadium.

On the evening of the game, there will be two matchday packages available for our UK-based and overseas supporters:

Audio Match Pass - £2.50

Video Match Pass - £10.00*

*This pass is available for those who are based overseas and in the United Kingdom due to the broadcasting rights.

Those who choose the Audio Match Pass option will get access to just the commentary, which will be provided by our partners, BBC Radio Lancashire, with those who choose the Video Match Pass getting the full stream.

CLICK HERE TO BUY YOUR VIDEO MATCH PASS!

JIM'S BAR TO OPEN AT 4PM FOR THE EARLY BIRDS

For those early birds on a matchday who want to make the most out of their time at Highbury, special deals are there for you as, between 4-6pm, all draught beers and ciders will be £2.50 per pint apart from Madri, which will be just £1 more.

Alongside this, supporters with Onward Cards can get four-pint pitchers for a cut-price throughout the day, with four-and-five-bottle offers also available during the day - specific times listed on the graphic below.

10% off draught beer is also listed as another benefit between 5:45-7:30pm, at half-time, and the post-match happy hour so make sure you are in there during these times!

Entertainment will be on offer by the club’s Supporter Liaison Officer Wayne Bibby between 6:45-7:15pm and you can get involved in the action as he will be providing fan engagement and team announcements during this time.

Please note, due to the club wanting the stands to stay full to cheer on Town as they face Bolton Wanderers in the final game of the calendar year, the bar will close at kick-off and will not open again until 8:15pm so let’s get the Cods cheered on as they bid for three vital points

Only home supporters will be allowed to gain access into Jim's Bar on the day.

Match Previews

Match Reports

Report: Town lose out to high-flying Bolton at Highbury

29 December 2023

Fleetwood Town ended 2023 with a defeat as high-flying Bolton Wanderers picked up all three points on the road for the second time in as many games.

Town were beaten 2-0 at Highbury Stadium on Friday night with goals from Dion Charles early in the second period and then Victor Adeboyejo scored late on in the second half to give the visitors three vital points in their push for promotion.

It was a peculiar opening 20 minutes as the wind and rain played havoc, which meant neither side could get the ball down and play despite the efforts of both teams.

There wasn’t too much goal-mouth action that followed. The visitors’ efforts had the force of the wind behind it as Randell Williams’ strike stung the palms of Jay Lynch - Wanderers then came again, a common theme in the first half as Josh Sheehan’s effort was again kept out by Town’s goalkeeper.

In the second half, it was Ian Evatt's side who opened the scoring just five minutes into the second period as Charles managed to shrug off Town’s pressure inside the penalty area, which then saw his effort nestled into the bottom left corner.

On the hour mark, Phoenix Patterson managed to work half a yard down the left-hand side as he combined well with Josh Earl to get into the final third, the former laid the ball off to Callum Dolan whose effort didn’t trouble Nathan Baxter between the sticks.

Chances were at a premium in the second half with neither side testing the opposition keeper until seven minutes to go as Kyle Dempsey’s ball across the box was dummied by Charles and Adeboyejo found the back of the net from close range.

Lee Johnson's side pushed and pushed with more attacking players were brought into the fray, however the Trotters stood firm and saw out the game to make it three wins on the bounce to end the year on a high.

Town will now travel to Shrewsbury on New Year's Day, with supporters able to buy tickets in-store on Saturday and online HERE!

Town XI: Lynch (GK), Wiredu, Lawal, Vela (C), Stockley, Quitirna (Tshimanga 45’), Heneghan, Dolan (Asamoah 80’), Teale (Marriott 74’), Earl, Patterson.

Unused subs: McMullan (GK), Johnson, Holgate, Hayes.

Bolton XI: Baxter (GK), Jones, Thomason, Almeida Santos (C), Sheehan (Adeboyejo 73’) Bodvarsson (Morley 73’) Charles (Jerome 86’), Dacres-Cogley, Toal, Dempsey, Williams (Ashworth 90’).

Unused subs: Coleman (GK), Forrester, Maghoma.

Ticket News

Buy your tickets today for Friday's match with Bolton

28 December 2023

Fleetwood Town supporters can now buy tickets in-store and online for the final game of the calendar year, which will see Bolton Wanderers visit Highbury Stadium on Friday night.

Town are back on home soil on Friday 29 December (7:45pm), with Bolton Wanderers the visitors to the Fylde Coast for a Sky Bet League One clash. Wanderers secure all three points on Boxing Day with a late goal away at Lincoln City, with the Cod Army earning their second point in as many games, this time against Carlisle United.

Manager Lee Johnson has praised the support from the fans in his recent interviews, and knows how important they will be once again on Friday under the floodlights at Highbury Stadium.

CLICK HERE TO BUY YOUR MATCH TICKETS ONLINE!

Here are the key details you need to know regarding ticket prices for the Bolton match:

	Adults
Standing	Seating	Premium
£24	£26	£28

	Seniors & Under-25s
Standing	Seating	Premium
£19	£21	£23

	Under-16s & Under-12s
Standing	Seating	Premium
£9	£10	£11

If you would like any more information regarding the ticket sales dates, prices, or any other general enquiries, you can contact our ticket office at Highbury Stadium by ringing 01253 775080 or you can email info@fleetwoodtownfc.com.