High-flying Bolton have too much for shot-shy Cobblers as relegation worries increase

The game plan to keep things tight and frustrate the play-off hunting hosts seemingly went out of the window after just three minutes when slack marking saw George Thomason break the deadlock.

But Town’s response to that very early setback was excellent and they levelled within five minutes, Shaw slotting home his first goal for the club, and for the rest of the first half there was not much in the game.

However, Shaw went from hero to villain when he got his clearance all wrong to score an own goal and hand Bolton the lead back beforre the break, and then Town’s attacking problems were laid bare in a second half where they dominated possession but created next to nothing.

Aaron Collins’ emphatic finish wrapped up all three points to leave Cobblers looking over their shoulder.

They now sit just three points above the drop zone having played more games than nearly all of the teams around them, including two more than 21st-placed Crawley.

Kevin Nolan made two changes on his return to Bolton, starting Will Hondermarck and Max Dyche in place of Jordan Willis and Tom Eaves, but his side made a disastrous start and trailed with just three minutes on the clock.

Having conceded an early corner, Town fell asleep and were caught cold by a training ground routine as Aaron Morley and Josh Sheehan combined to tee up Thomason, who was left in acres of space to slot home from the middle of the penalty box.

The hardy travelling supporters might have been fearing a long night but fortunately it took only five minutes for their side to respond with a well-worked equaliser of their own.

Terry Taylor and Hondermarck linked up down the left before Mitch Pinnock’s low cross was only half cleared to Shaw and he applied a cool first-time finish.

Although that gave Cobblers a foothold in the game, Bolton were causing issues down their right side, particularly through the lively Jordi Osei-Tutu, and after important defensive work by both Aaron McGowan and Dyche, Victor Adeboyejo poked just wide on the turn.

But it was not all one-way traffic and Town looked to get the ball down and string together some decent phases of possession when they could, occasionally threatening through set-pieces and long throws.

The hosts did finish the first half in the ascendency and Nik Tzanev produced a fine stop to tip over Thomason’s superb volley, but the goal that put them back in front just before the break was a gift.

Again it originated down Town’s left as Aaron Collins found himself free and Shaw got his bearings all wrong in the middle, inexplicably diverting the cross into his own net.

That felt a big moment in the game, particularly as it came on the cusp of half-time, but Bolton were jittery and there was still an opportunity for Cobblers if they could find more quality in the final third.

Shaw blasted a 25-yard shot over the angle of post and bar before Nolan felt he needed more in attack so on came James Wilson and Eaves, followed by Tariqe Fosu and Jack Baldwin, but the pattern of the second half never really changed.

Bolton dropped off and gave up plenty of the ball but Cobblers weren’t good enough to make the most of it in another blunt attacking display, and their fate was sealed in the final 10 minutes.

Tzanev reacted well to keep out Collins’ header but there was no denying the Bolton man just moments later when he cut inside and emphatically blasted into the top corner, putting the seal on victory.

Match facts

Bolton: Southwood, Jones, Thomason ©, Johnston, Sheehan, Schon (Murphy 61), Morley, Forrester, Osei-Tutu (Dacres-Cogley 80), Adeboyejo (Randall 61), Collins

Subs not used: Baxter, Murphy, Lolos, Randall, Arfield, McAtee

Cobblers: Tzanev, McGowan © (Baldwin 71), Eyoma, Dyche, Odimayo (Fosu 71), Pinnock, Shaw, Taylor, Hondermarck (Wilson 62), McGeehan (Eaves 62), Hoskins.

Subs not used: Burge, Magloire, Willis

Referee: Sunny Singh Gill