Ipswich Town open their League One season at home to Bolton Wanderers this afternoon. MIKE BACON takes at look at the Trotters.
Dark horses Bolton?
Many fans have Bolton Wanderers down as dark horses for promotion from League One this season, and it is easy to understand why.
The Trotters ended the last campaign in strong fashion, with an incredible run of just three defeats in 22 games, putting them top of the last-six game form guide at the end of the season, alongside Wycombe Wanderers. And they have made few adjustments to that squad.
Their ninth-placed finish was unspectacular, mainly due to an awful run around Christmas, but their second half of the season was terrific.
And while that may have gone now, there is little doubt momentum is very much with the north-west side, who will come to Portman Road today knowing they doubled Town last season, with a 2-5 victory in Suffolk, followed by a 2-0 win at the University of Bolton Stadium.
Make no bones about it, on paper anyhow, Ipswich could have had an easier opening day clash than Bolton at home.
There hasn't been a huge turnover of players at Bolton pre-season as there has been in recent times and many fans are pleased to see that.
The transfer window in January saw the Trotters do good business and that likely explained their strong end to the campaign. However, this pre-season....
IN: Jack Iredale (Cambridge, free), James Trafford (Man City, loan), Conor Bradley (Liverpool, loan), Eoin Toal (Derry, undisc).
OUT: Ronan Darcy (Swindon, undisc).
RELEASED: Alex Baptiste, Andy Tutte (now B Team coach), Liam Gordon (signed for Walsall), Nathan Delfouneso, Liam Edwards (signed for Chester), Reiss Greenidge.
RETIRED: Matt Gilks.
LOAN EXPIRED: Xavier Amaechi (Hamburg).
Meet the boss
Former central defender Ian Evatt has been Bolton manager since July 2020.
He played more than 500 Football League games, mostly at Blackpool, where he enjoyed a season in the Premier League, playing 38 times and scoring one goal.
He's looking forward to the clash with Town, but knows it will be a tough one.
“Ipswich have got some really good players, and have done some really good business," Evatt said this week.
"All the players they’ve signed are excellent players, so it’s a really challenging game and probably the most difficult game of our season.
“I would think them and Sheffield Wednesday away will be the two most challenging games, but we don’t fear anybody. We’re going there to show what we can do as well and hopefully get the three points.”
Head to head
Ipswich have a better head to head against Bolton, but they were doubled by the Trotters last season.
It's 21 wins for Town, 15 for Bolton and 12 draws in the teams' 48 meetings in all competitions, but strangely, aside from last season, you have to go back to 2005 to find the last time Bolton beat Town.
That was a 1-3 FA Cup victory for the Trotters at Portman Road when Bolton's goals all came within eight minutes of each other!
What the bookies say
Well, Town are one of the League One favourites for promotion and already the bookies are backing them. Bolton may have ended League One last season like a train, but Town are odds-on for victory with all the bookies for today's clash. However, there is not big differences in the draw, or a Bolton victory.
TOWN WIN: 10/11: BOLTON WIN: 3/1: THE DRAW: 12/5
Foot in both camps
Some players who have played for both Town and Bolton include, goalkeeper Keith Branagan, Spanish defender, Ivan Campo, Mark Fish, who had a sadly brief spell of just 45 minutes on loan at Portman Road, before injury struck. Ipswich-born Liam Trotter has appeared for both clubs, as did Jonathan Walters, who played for Bolton early in his career, before joining Town in 2007.
Did you know?
Bolton has produced a plethora of famous people who were born in the town, including boxer Amir Khan, comedian Peter Kay, presenter Vernon Kay, legendary footballer Nat Lofthouse, Radio DJ Sara Cox and for those who remember him well, steeplejack, Fred Dibnah.
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