Luke Turner discusses what we should look out for tomorrow night…
In recent weeks, Bolton Wanderers have picked up a bit of form having lost just twice in their last six games.
Their 1-1 draw with QPR on Saturday was enough to lift the Trotters off the bottom of the Championship table on goal difference.
Neil Lennon`s side should’ve perhaps even won the game after squandering some excellent chances and being denied the three points by a 93rd minute equaliser.
So, when they visit St Andrews tomorrow night, it might not be as straight forward for Blues as some may think.
As most sides in the lower half of the table have done when they visit us, I expect Bolton to get men behind the ball and not give us much space to operate in.
However, I think they will still provide a danger in the attacking third of the pitch. They have some very creative players in Zach Clough and Liam Feeney as well as Jay Spearing in the middle who can control proceedings.
Alongside Spearing, Mark Davies also adds a calming influence and possesses great quality on the ball.
It is important not to give these two players time on the ball as one pass could split us open and be very costly.
Going back to Clough, he will roam in behind our midfield looking for space so Gleeson and Kieftenbeld will need to keep tabs on him.
Lennon also has a couple of strikers at his disposal that can protect the ball, bring others into play and then look to get into the box.
Ex-Blues striker Emile Heskey along with Gary Madine will provide an outlet to their team when under pressure so Morrison and Robinson need to be wary when handling either of those two.
Blues won the reverse fixture 1-0 at The Macron back in October thanks to a Robinson goal, which took us to the dizzy heights of second.
I would expect a win from us tomorrow night and we really could do with one but, as we know, Blues never do it the simple way.
The way I expect Bolton to play will mean that we might just need that one bit of quality from one of our players to make something happen.
Whether that be a Jon Toral moment of brilliance, a Jacques Maghoma run, a Stephen Gleeson pass or an assist from the returning David Cotterill.
We are likely to have plenty of the ball but might need to mix things up a bit in order to get that breakthrough.
If we are patient and keep plugging away at the Bolton rearguard then gaps should begin to open.
It is then up to the eleven on the pitch to go and exploit them and collect a much needed three points.