[Archived] News Article -> 2012/13 Full-Time: Rovers 1 Bolton Wanderers 2

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Rovers have slumped to their second consecutive home defeat after they lost 2-1 to Bolton in tonight's match at Ewood Park. Bolton took the lead inside three minutes and dominated the majority of the match, although Rovers pressed in the final minutes of the game after Jordan Rhodes' goal had given them hope.

Berg made one change to the side that had lost at the weekend, opting to give a start to Joshua King who had joined on loan from Manchester United last week, but all his pre-match planning was quickly thrown into disarray when Bolton took the lead only minutes into the match. Kevin Davies was able to get his shot off inside the area and beat Robinson at his near post. The forward was making his return to the Bolton side and will no doubt have been delighted to grab a goal against his former club. For the rest of the half it was Bolton who dominated, constantly looking dangerous as their midfield controlled the match and ran at the Rovers back four. Rovers looked clueless, with Etuhu and Murphy struggling to get into the match and looking completely out of sync with each other.

Little changed as the second half got underway and Bolton doubled their lead when Robinson could only tip Eagles' free-kick onto the post, but could do little to stop Chung-Yong Lee from tapping in after the Korean had reacted quickest. Rovers pushed forward looking for some way back into the match and it looked as though they would fail to score for a second match in a row, but Jordan Rhodes' clever header put them back into the match. The final minutes saw them push forward in hope of an equaliser, but they were never able to create anything more than half-chances and Bolton deserved to take the three points home.

Berg will be concerned by the fact that this is now two flat home performances in a row and Rovers appear to be regressing slightly as the season moves towards the busy Christmas period. He will know that the gap to the top two is already starting to widen and Rovers now sit four points adrift of the play-offs, with the crucial derby against Burnley to come this Sunday. A more committed performance will be expected in that match and more quality will be needed if Rovers are to avoid their first defeat in the fixture in over 33 years.

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