Bolton Wanderers 5-2 Reading – Full Match Report

The ruthless Whites had not scored since opening day, but opened the floodgates early in the game against the vulnerable-looking Royals and never looked back.

Charles scored three, two from the penalty spot, followed by Josh Sheehan and Kyle Dempsey.

Amid speculation over his future at Bolton, manager Ian Evatt indicated midweek that he had enough support inside and outside the boardroom to turn around a difficult start.

Changes were made, including the much-discussed decision to swap captains. George Thomason was given the role, taking over from Ricardo Santos, and Evatt continued with a ‘back to basics’ approach, reverting to the 3-5-2 formation used last season and returning George Johnston, Josh Sheehan and Victor Adeboyejo to his starting line-up.

After the anger and frustration at last week’s defeat to Huddersfield Town, it was hard to deny that this was Evatt’s biggest game outside the play-offs in a Bolton dugout.

The Wanderers supporters provided an enthusiastic reception and it was the best start in a long time for the Whites.

Within 11 minutes, the returning Sheehan curled a free-kick past the wall and inside the post, beating David Button to score his first goal since March.

And that was quickly followed by Charles’ first penalty of the day, pushed over the line by Amadou Mbengue chasing down a short pass from Thomason. A week after coming on as a half-time substitute, he was already on his way to his first hat-trick at the Toughsheet Stadium.

Charles scored his second goal in the 34th minute after Eoin Toal and Josh Dacres-Cogley combined well down the right, before slotting past Tyler Bindon to beat Button from a corner.

Reading almost got back into the game, against all odds. First when Ben Elliott fired home a shot from 11 yards, only for the ball to bounce off the foot of the post, and then when Baxter was forced into a great save to keep out a downward header from Mbengue.

Just as the wobbly moves began, Charles was given another chance from the spot. Adeboyejo was tripped on the edge of the area and the Northern Ireland international fired home his fifth of the season.

Reading came back at Bolton early in the second half and made the breakthrough with the third penalty of the game. Santos tripped over Ben Smith, who then took the ball from Harvey Knibbs to fire home from the spot.

There were some nerves among the home crowd as the smooth football of the first half began to weaken.

Kevin Ehibhatiomhan curled a shot against the bar and then cut for fresh air when the ball came to him from a corner moments later. Smith also got his toe on a long ball into the box but could only send his effort straight at the keeper.

Wanderers held out, however, and Evatt was able to bring on fresh legs to prevent any major drama. One of his replacements, Kyle Dempsey, made the game completely safe when he headed in a corner from another, Randell Williams, a few minutes from time.

That prompted the home fans to sing the manager’s name for the first time during the match – a show of support that will no doubt have been music to their ears after a difficult week.

Dempsey nearly made it 6-0 in injury time, firing a pass from Toal straight at keeper Button before hitting the crossbar in a frenetic closing stages of play.