West Bromwich Albion Preview

By Mark Heys
April 16 2006

Bolton Wanderers will hope to use tommorow night's all important game against West Bromwich Albion to get their flagging season back on track.

A 2-0 home defeat against Chelsea on Easter Saturday has left the Trotters without a league win in nearly a month and they know they will need to change that sequence fast if they are to revive any hopes of making the UEFA Cup again next season.

Albion too are desperate to record a positive result tommorow as they know time is running out for them to repeat last years great escape and maintain their top flight status.

Bolton's recent record at the Hawthorns isn't the most encouraging and you have to go back over five years to find a win by Sam Allardyce's men when coming up against the Baggies on away ground. In fact, only Jussi Jaaskelainen, Ricardo Gardner and Kevin Nolan remain from the Wanderers side which won 2-0 in the West Midlands back in August 2000.

Bolton are without the suspended Tal Ben-Haim following his late sending off against Chelsea so Nicky Hunt or Joey O'Brien could come back into the side at right back.

Abdoulaye Faye is expected to remain alongside Bruno N'Gotty at centre half with Ricardo Vaz-Te, Stelios Giannakopoulos, Jared Borgetti, Henrik Pedersen, El-Hadji Diouf and Matt Jansen all competing for places up front alongside the near ever present Kevin Davies.

West Brom have a doubt over midfielder Darren Carter (groin) but the former Wigan Athletic forward Nathan Ellington is expected to play having recovered from a foot injury which forced him to miss the weekend defeat at Arsenal.

Thomas Gaardsoe (hernia), Chris Kirkland (finger) and one time Manchester United reserve Ronnie Wallwork (suspension) are all definately ruled out for Bryan Robson's team .

Japanese international Junichi Inamoto will hope to come face to face with countryman Hidetoshi Nakata after making a late appearance as a substitute at Highbury.

PREMIERSHIP RECORD

09/11/2002 BOLTON WANDERERS 1 (Frandsen) WEST BROMWICH ALBION 1 (Dobie)

08/02/2003 WEST BROMWICH ALBION 1 (Johnson) BOLTON WANDERERS 1 (Pedersen)

02/10/2004 WEST BROMWICH ALBION 2 (Kanu, Gera) BOLTON WANDERERS 1 (Giannakopoulos)

01/01/2005 BOLTON WANDERERS 1 (Diouf) WEST BROMWICH ALBION 1 (Gera)

23/10/2005 BOLTON WANDERERS 2 (Nakata, Nolan) WEST BROMWICH ALBION 0

PREMIERSHIP FORM GUIDE:

Played: 5

Won: 1

Drawn: 3

Lost: 1

CONNECTIONS

Sam Allardyce, Peter Barnes, Len Cantello, Franz Carr, Barry Cowdrill, David Cross, Julian Darby, Fabian De Freitas, Andy Dibble, Delroy Facey, Carsten Fredgaard, Asa Hartford, Russell Hoult, Tony Kelly, Harry Kinsell, Richard Sneekes, Bob Taylor, John Thomas.

IT HAPPENED WHEN BOLTON PLAYED THE BAGGIES

Bruno N'Gotty was sent off in the first Premiership fixture between these two sides in November 2002 after appearing to lash out at Albion forward Scott Dobie. The big Frenchman's blushes had been spared though as Per Frandsen headed home a last gasp equaliser.

Last years fixture at the Hawthorns saw Stelios Giannakopoulos score Bolton's consolation goal straight from a free kick.

Japan midfielder Hidetoshi Nakata scored his one and only goal for Bolton to date when these two sides last met in October 2005. The free kick sent Wanderers on their way to a 2-0 win, their first over the Baggies in the Premiership