Everton Preview

By Mark Heys
December 16 2005

Bolton Wanderers will aim to improve their dismal record at Goodison Park tommorow afternoon as they take on North West rivals Everton.

The Wanderers have won just one league game on the Blue half of Merseyside in the last 44 years and have been defeated there in three out of five Premiership meetings.

Everton inflicted a rare home defeat on Bolton back in August thanks to a singular Marcus Bent goal against the run of play so Sam Allardyce will be eager to stop his old friend David Moyes from completing the double over his side on Saturday.

Allardyce has a selection headache prior to making the trip West as influential centre half Tal Ben-Haim is suspended and wing back Ricardo Gardner is struggling with a thigh injury picked up during Wednesday's UEFA Cup draw with Sevilla.

Radhi Jaidi comes into contention but Henrik Pedersen is still struggling with an achillies injury picked up prior to the Charlton Athletic game back in October.

Right back Nicky Hunt played the second half of the midweek game at left wing back so he could once again be forced into playing out of position should Gardner fail a fitness test.

Everton still have Nigel Martyn, Matteo Ferrari, Alessandro Pistone, Gary Naysmith, Lee Carsley and James Vaughan all on the long term injury list for this game.

Toffees midfielder Tim Cahill is back in contention after missing the last three games due to a suspension picked up in the recent home game against Newcastle United.

PREMIERSHIP RECORD

14/10/1995 BOLTON WANDERERS 1 (Paatelainen) EVERTON 1 (Rideout)

06/04/1996 EVERTON 3 (Hottiger, Kanchelskis, Amokachi) BOLTON WANDERERS 0

01/09/1997 BOLTON WANDERERS 0 EVERTON 0

28/12/1997 EVERTON 3 (Ferguson 3) BOLTON WANDERERS 2 (Bergsson, Sellars)

03/11/2001 BOLTON WANDERERS 2 (Frandsen, Ricketts) EVERTON 2 (Stubbs, Gascoigne)

01/04/2002 EVERTON 3 (Pistone, Radzinski, Chadwick) BOLTON WANDERERS 1 (N'Gotty)

28/12/2002 EVERTON 0 BOLTON WANDERERS 0

28/01/2003 BOLTON WANDERERS 1 (Bergsson) EVERTON 2 (Watson 2)

29/11/2003 BOLTON WANDERERS 2 (Frandsen, Nolan) EVERTON 0

08/05/2004 EVERTON 1 (Ferguson) BOLTON WANDERERS 2 (Djorkaeff 2)

04/12/2004 EVERTON 3 (Ferguson, Gravesen, Jaidi OG) BOLTON WANDERERS 2 (Davies 2)

15/05/2005 BOLTON WANDERERS 3 (Jaidi, Davies, Giannakopoulos) EVERTON 2 (Cahill, Carsley)

21/08/2005 BOLTON WANDERERS 0 EVERTON 1 (Bent)

PREMIERSHIP FORM GUIDE:

Played: 13

Won: 3

Drawn: 4

Lost: 6

CONNECTIONS

Peter Beardsley, Brian Borrows, Martin Dobson, Gareth Farrelly, Albert Geldard, Asa Hartford, Glenn Keeley, Brian Kidd, Paul Lodge, Jim McDonagh, Neil McDonald, Ian Marshall, John O’Kane, Peter Reid, Gary Speed, Dennis Stevens, Alan Stubbs, Mike Walsh

IT HAPPENED WHEN BOLTON PLAYED EVERTON

Referee Steven Lodge failed to spot a clear Bolton goal by Gerry Taggart in the first ever game at the Reebok Stadium in September 1997.

England icon Paul "Gazza" Gascoigne scored his one and only Everton goal against the Wanderers in November 2001