fbpx
Connect with us

Bolton Wanderers

Wigan v Bolton sees fans fight in the stands and players clash on the pitch

Wigan v Bolton sees fans fight in the stands and players clash on the pitch with the Latics winning Tuesday night’s fixture 1-0.

Bolton boss Ian Evatt said that the heated scenes at the end of their League One defeat was because of a Wigan player who was seen “celebrating in front of our fans.”

This incident resulted led to both teams clashing, with both Evatt and Shaun Maloney, the opposing manager, trying to calm the situation down.

The game ended with Wigan emerging victorious thanks to Stephen Humphrys’ goal in the second half.

“It’s not acceptable,” Evatt told BBC Radio Manchester.

“We just won’t accept one of their players celebrating in front of our supporters. Celebrate with your own fans, no issue with that.

“Don’t celebrate with ours, and you certainly shouldn’t be celebrating when you’re mid-table. That’s what I think.

“It’s a good result for them, fair enough, we’ll take our medicine but we’re still fighting to get promoted out of this division.”

Bolton missed the chance to move into the top two, after Derby’s loss to Charlton, and would only have needed a point to do so.

Wigan boss Maloney was in a less angry mood, after his side recorded their 15th win of a season and would have been been playoff contenders had they have not received an eight-point deduction.

“I think their manager thought one of our players was over-celebrating in the far corner,” Maloney said.

“But there’s no hard feelings on either side, these are just emotional moments.”

As mentioned, there was also trouble in the stands…

Evatt said, per the club website: “We’ve got 12 games left. We’re no worse off again and if this is our sticky patch then we have to ride it out.

“It’s not about imploding and panicking. It’s about staying calm, staying composed and focusing on what we need to do to get wins to get us out of this league.

“This is the first time we’ve really completely dominated Wigan and we’ve lost the game. We have to take our medicine and I’m so disappointed for our fans because we really wanted to do it for them and put it right for them.

“But if we play like that we’ll be okay and if we manage to get ourselves out of this league I’m sure they’ll forgive us for the last few days.

“Right now it has to hurt and it does. It really hurts us all. We’ve really got to rally, get our heads down and work even harder and on Saturday make the Toughsheet as loud as we possibly can and get it rocking and support the players stick and together as a football club, because it’s in the tough times that really counts.

“We’re having a tough time at the moment and we’ve said before it’s how we manage the dark spells that really count and at the minute we’re in a dark spell.”

“I’m the first one to criticise the players when we haven’t performed,” added Evatt, whose side needs to hit back at home to Cambridge United next Saturday. “We didn’t perform to our level on Saturday (at Blackpool) regardless of any decisions and we got beat.

“Tonight, I thought we performed really well, dominated the game and didn’t get what we deserved. The fans were excellent. They deserved more and we deserved more tonight. Sometimes it’s challenging. Football is tough. It will love you and hate you and at the minute it feels like it’s hating us.

“All we can do is focus on ourselves and focus on that level of performance. I’m baffled that we’ve managed to lose that game with the way that we’ve performed. But if we play like that, I genuinely believe we will be okay.”

Wigan Athletic: Tickle; Kerr, Goode (Morrison 75), Chambers; S Smith, M Smith, Adeeko, J Smith (Pearce 75) ; McManaman (Godo 63), Aasgard; Magennis (Humphrys 54). Substitutes: Amos, Pearce, Morrison, Sze, Kelman.

Booked: Magennis, M Smith, S Smith

Bolton: Coleman; Jones, Almeida Santos, Toal; Sheehan; Dacres-Cogley, Maghoma (Dempsey 70), Thomason, Ogbeta; Mendes Gomes (Collins 20), Adeboyejo (Bodvarsson 70). Substitutes: Iredale, Forrester, Morley, Jerome.

Booked: Maghoma, Ogbeta, Thomason

Referee: John Busby

Attendance: 13,204 (4,209 away)

Speaking to Latics TV post-game, Maloney said: “It was pleasing in a very different way.

“The second half, particularly in the last half hour, we had to defend. I’ve spoken a lot about the mentality of the group.

“I almost challenged everyone – myself included – but the players tonight were incredible.

“We had five Academy graduates on the pitch – one of them being Callum McManaman, and I also relied on the senior boys.

“The players take everything tonight. They were incredible.

“We had a big desire not to concede. Bolton are a good side, and with the way we set up today, we had to give them respect.

“I wanted to get more pressure on them in the first half but I loved what we did on the ball. When we scored, the mentality became to defend our lead.

“The mentality of the group was really strong, and the players take every bit of credit tonight.”

This is how Twitter users reacted as Wigan v Bolton sees fans fight in the stands and players clash on the pitch…

@Jamie_derby99: Funny how Evatt never dared do that to James McClean 🤣 soft bastard #wafc

@MccormacLoui: Evatt looks like he’s about to explode ahahah #wafc

@GregFarrimond: You’d think they wouldn’t be such crap losers given how often this happens. Callum McManaman, what a man.

@oliverlawrenson: Absolute love to see!! Evatt at the end hahahaha stop crying lad #wafc

@58Bwfc: That Morrison is such a shitbag 🤣🤣 toal grabbed him, he looked directly at him, then went to push Sheehan because he’s smaller 😭😭😭 so embarrassing

@Worsleywhites: Ian, in your position, with this form & performance levels you should be keeping your mouth shut. Not the man to take us forward. He’s reached his ceiling.

@FredsCap: I would have thought that IE had more pressing concerns than how Wigan celebrated. If he’d have set his team up well, and won the game it wouldn’t be an issue.

@Worthington_PNE: Has Ian Evatt not learnt that he’d be better off getting down the tunnel quicker at the end of games after what happened to him at Deepdale in 2015. And the lashers want this mon as their next gaffer. Looks a match made in heaven. Nice One. #pnefc

@DeanGore24: Shouldn’t be celebrating haha sorry but evrry club celebrates a win. No matter what position they are in… its just so happens to be the local rivals that we’ve done the double over

@NTopping14: Watch humps anytime he goes near a #bwfc player their arse goes hahahha #wafc

@williamoneilll: Cal mac pushing everyone including our own lads 😂 phenomenal

@wayno_49: Definitely do not ignore the oooooohs 💙🤍 #wafc

@JamesWhyte8: Look at Evatt crying because we were celebrating in front of the Bolton fans….. who abused Josh Magennis all match???

@Tics27472838471: Who is it who grabs Tom Pearce by the throat?

@cambo691: Horwich fc being bad losers is it

@Lt_wafc: Love it lads 😍

@ella_jadee_: Hahahahahaha heads have fucking gone

@ticslady: After all the shit we’ve been through any win can be celebrated like that #wafc a mid table finish with a team of loanees and academy players is some achievement

@JayyKirk07: Fucking disgrace from Ian that. The fucking nerve after that performance. Fuck off.

@TabinerCorey: Evatts spat his dummy out 🤣

@DavidJa16956153: Someone get that heads gone over this 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

@Jack432J: Well and truly rattled haha

@A_Waller1: They stuffed us home and away Ian. Maybe beat them and that might stop them celebrating?

@JordanP230295: Up the fuckin tics 🔵⚪️

@LetLaticsGel: If Bolton go up fair play to them. The fact we have beaten our local rivals twice this season with a team that was expected to be near the bottom of the league due to our points deduction, transfer embargo, free transfers, etc, is worth celebrating 🥳

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

More in Bolton Wanderers