Bolton Wanderers got their Papa Johns Trophy campaign up and running with three points in their opening group game against Crewe Alex.
In Group B of the Northern section of the draw, Wanderers took the lead early on through Amadou Bakayoko. However, the Railwaymen drew level not long after through Courtney Baker-Richardson.
Wanderers went ahead after the break thanks to Dion Charles, before Kieran Sadlier added a third with a classy finish. Charles added his second and Bolton's fourth before the end to ensure a 4-1 win.
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Here, we analyse the win from a Wanderers perspective and pick out the ups and downs from a Bolton point of view.
Ups
Josh Sheehan back in action
It has been a long journey back to first team football since becoming injured last November for Sheehan. The midfielder has been working his way back to fitness following a ruptured ACL.
Sheehan returned to running towards the end of last season and travelled with the club to its Portugal pre-season training camp. He has recently got minutes under his belt for the club's B team.
Last night Sheehan started for Wanderers against the Railwaymen and impressed in more than an hour on the pitch. The midfielder was bright in possession and added some penetration in the final third for the Whites.
Sheehan is almost like a new signing for Wanderers following his return to action. He will prove to be another valuable option in central midfield.
Eoin Toal solid on debut
Summer signing Toal has had to wait for his debut since his move from Derry City. He has had injury problems to overcome in that time.
Toal played in the heart of the back three last night against the Railwaymen. Aside from a mix-up with goalkeeper Joel Dixon which led to Crewe's equaliser, he looked solid in defence and reliable on the ball.
A right-sided player, Toal has added further reinforcements to the rearguard. For a first showing, this was an encouraging start to his Bolton career and is something to build upon.
Charles getting back to scoring goals
Charles is yet to find the back of the net in League One so far this season and has only recently returned from a minor injury which kept him out of action for the opening weeks of the campaign. However, it has been a different story in the cup competitions so far.
The striker got his tally up and running for the season with a strike against Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup. This was followed up last night from the bench with a brace against the Alex.
Charles looks sharper with every game he plays following his injury comeback. His first finish was following a great piece of individual work, while the second saw him arrive at the right time in the box.
Wanderers have not had a fit Charles for a lot of the early stages of this campaign. That has now changed and it looks like he is back and sharp.
Financial reward from win
Not only did Wanderers get up and running in the group stage of the Papa Johns Trophy with the win, but it also helped the club's coffers. The competition can be financially very lucrative and rewarding.
Though crowds have never been the highest for these competitions, Wanderers have been awarded £20,000 for just taking part in it. The win gave Bolton another £10,000 as per the terms of the competition.
Matches against Tranmere Rovers and Leeds United's under-21s will follow in the group stage. Another £20,000 could be secured with two more wins and it will surely come in handy for the Whites if so.
Downs
Sloppy goal conceded becoming slight habit
The only negative from the evening was the manner in which Wanderers were pegged back and Crewe got back on level terms. Baker-Richardson nodded home to ensure the scores became level.
It came from a mix-up between Dixon and Toal, with the latter coming out of his goal to challenge Baker-Richardson. Toal was already by the striker and the end result was the ball trickling into the net.
It was an avoidable goal certainly and it has become something of a regularity unfortunately recently for the Whites. Giving teams a helping hand to get in front or back into a game is a quality which must be stamped out and done so sooner rather than later.
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