Central look for momentum against Bolton United

Manchester Central will look to kick on in Division One with successive wins in mind when Bolton United visit Seashell Trust.

An impressive 2-1 win over promotion candidates Bolton Borough last weekend saw Central secure their second Division One victory of the season and just their third in all competitions.

Lamin Jammeh notched his fourth goal of the season to open the scoring to rank him second for Central only behind Thi-Reece Lenihan (5), before Cherino Jallow grabbed his first of the campaign to double the lead before halftime.

Samir Zafar meanwhile helped Bolton United snatch a 1-1 draw at fellow strugglers Chadderton Cott to end their run of three successive league defeats.

Ashley Curran had initially put the hosts ahead before Zafar equalised to secure a point for the visitors, though the result helped see Central leapfrog their upcoming opponents in the standings to ninth.

A poor start for both sides this season has seen a real struggle for Bolton and Central to collect any type of momentum or form, though there remains plenty of time to flip the switch as the winter break approaches.

Central’s second win of the league campaign arrived after ten fixtures played though it was one which finally saw a good performance turn into maximum points this season.

Boss Chris Tomkinson was without key forward Dimitri Kemayou for the third consecutive fixture though the return of Junior Silva has eased the loss of the striker. A quick start saw the home side take control inside 20 minutes.

Captain Daniel Dolling uncharacteristically had his penalty attempt saved shy of the half-hour mark though his failure to double Central’s lead was not punished by Bolton, who suffered at the hands of Jallow who gave the home side a cushion at the interval.

A late strike was not enough to see the visitors trouble Central’s lead, whose win continued their run of picking up all their points at Seashell Trust this season, with another opportunity to continue that record on Saturday.

It was a result that also pushed Central into the top ten, though a promotion place remains a distant thought having fallen 16 points behind third placed Stockport Georgians.

The impressive win against Bolton Borough though could inspire confidence in this Central side to finish the year strongly. A run of form to round off 2023 could see Tomkinson’s men in an intriguing position in the run in.

The game at the weekend will be one of five before the winter break, whilst the final two of the year will provide a serious test to this group when they face two of the current top three in Division One.

Similarly, Bolton have struggled so far this season to find their groove in what has been an ultra-competitive season in the Manchester Football League’s second tier.

Zafar’s first strike of the season was enough to add a point to Bolton’s tally of just five points this campaign, though it has seen them remain winless in their last four league fixtures.

Central would be wise to not underestimate a side who have shown fight albeit in snippets this season. Bolton’s stunning 2-1 win over league leaders Baguley Athletic in September remains their only victory, and Baguley’s only defeat.

It will be a test for Bolton once again when they face a Central side who have their tails up, particularly away from home where they are yet to pick up a win despite having only made three trips.

The draw with Chadderton was their first point on the road which could provide belief that they can collect a similar result at Seashell Trust, where Central haven’t been as formidable as in recent seasons.

Despite all their haul of points coming at home, Central have shown inconsistency on their home turf though all their defeats (3) have come against three of the top four in the league.

Central’s tendency to host entertaining fixtures could also be something Bolton will look to exploit. Tomkinson has seen his side concede 18 times in their seven at home, whilst Central’s backline will have threats to deal with.

Sakeel Abdulah and Bilal Ahmed have been at the forefront for Bolton when it comes to finding the net this season, both have netted five apiece whilst just three of Bolton’s goals this season have not been scored by Abdulah or Ahmed.

It certainly sets up an intriguing contest with two sides who have plenty of history, with their last meeting coming in September of last year where Central edged a 2-1 battle in this fixture.

A win for Central could see them climb above Heywood St James into the top eight, whilst a positive outcome for Bolton would see them draw level with Central.

The game is set to kick off at 14:00pm at Seashell Trust on Saturday 18th November. The referee is Paul Bentley.