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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
John McDougall

Mark Bonner's claims on Cambridge draw with Bolton & verdict on Manchester City loanee's saves

Mark Bonner spoke highly of Manchester City loanee James Trafford's saves in his Cambridge United side's goalless draw with Bolton Wanderers as he felt the 0-0 was as entertaining as they come but his side were the more likely ones to win.

In a first half which did not sparkle, Wanderers came closest to taking the lead firstly through Jack Iredale's deflected effort which Amadou Bakayoko almost got on the end of. Then Elias Kachunga volleyed over from the edge of the box as the deadlock remained at the break.

Early in the second half, James Trafford produced a marvellous save to deny Harvey Knibbs the opener. Wanderers broke forward not long after and Dion Charles eventually blasted over, while Gethin Jones nodded wide from close range from a set piece which could have seen Wanderers go ahead.

READ MORE: Bolton Wanderers player ratings vs Cambridge United - James Trafford & Ricardo Santos good in draw

Kyle Dempsey was given his marching orders with 15 minutes to go after bringing Knibbs down, following an earlier booking on Jack Lankester. And Knibbs saw an effort savd by Trafford from eight yards out with the last act of the game as the spoils were shared and Bolton ended the game with 10 men.

Bonner, whose side remain 18th in League One as Wanderers dropped out of the play-off places on goal difference, felt the draw was an entertaining one his side looked the more likely to win. But he recognised the impact of Trafford and that his side got lucky when Jones did not find the target.

Speaking to the club's YouTube channel: "I thought it was a brilliant 0-0 really and I thought we were probably the more likely to win the game.

"We had some good chances in the second half. I thought Knibbs' one was a good one that Trafford has made a good save from. Then literally the last kick just before the whistle, I thought we were going to score that one.

"He has got out to him really quickly in fairness, I have just watched it back. It is probably a more difficult chance than it seemed at the time because the goalie is right on top of it.

"But I thought we played really well. I thought our defensive organisation was good. I thought we were very, very competitive in the game.

"That is what you want. A really good atmosphere in the stadium, really good intensity in both teams. I enjoyed that.

"I thought it was as entertaining as 0-0s can come and actually, it was quite an open game in both halves. There was a lot of penalty box action and could have been goals.

"We got lucky with one in the second half where they have headed one just wide but, in the main, I thought we defended well."

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