Central return to league action against Bolton Borough

Manchester Central face Bolton Borough in Division One action in search of a return to the winning column.

Chris Tomkinson saw his side get knocked out of the Manchester Challenge Trophy after a tense penalty shootout followed a thrilling 3-3 draw with Denton Town at Seashell Trust.

Central were dominant for large parts of the game and went ahead twice after going a goal down early on, a terrific strike by debutant Akbar Khoshab had put the home side ahead with just over 20 minutes to go before it was cancelled out by a dramatic late equaliser.

Fine stops by both goalkeepers in the shootout kept the tie delicately balanced though a decisive parry by Ethan Whitbread in the Denton goal allowed Denton to secure victory to the semi-finals.

It would have been a worry for Tomkinson after his side let the lead slip on two separate occasions in the game despite having the best chances in the game. Bolton’s visit will be the seventh consecutive fixture played at Seashell Trust, where Central have found their success this season.

Central are still searching for their second league win of the campaign after failing to follow up on their 5-1 rout of Chadderton Cott in September. Two successive defeats in Division One against Old Altrinchamians and Avenue MFL have seen Central lose ground.

There hasn’t been much to desire from their performances in recent weeks however, particularly at home. A prolific record in front of goal at Seashell Trust has seen Central find the net 14 times in six though it has been at the opposite end where they have struggled.

Much of the action this campaign for Central has come at home, however thus far Tomkinson and his side have failed to stop goals after conceding 17 goals when hosting.

Central have won all their points (5) in home fixtures meanwhile, whilst there will be more opportunities for Tomkinson’s men to build on that with the next three to be played at Seashell Trust. A win meanwhile could see Central up to ninth.

Their upcoming opponents have enjoyed a successful run of form in recent weeks following a poor start to the season. Bolton opened their campaign with three successive defeats, though they lost just twice in the following six that has seen them climb to fourth place.

A resounding 6-3 win at Heywood St James last weekend saw Bolton return to winning ways after having previously suffered consecutive defeats to Altrincham Hale and Old Altrinchamians.

A Callum Cornes brace got the visitors well on their way to victory whilst Mohammed Nageeb, Gedeao Varela, Josep Wroe and top scorer Danny Halloran also chipped in.

Halloran has been Bolton’s key threat so far this season and will be a man to watch out for from Central’s perspective. The forward has netted seven times in just eight appearances and has certainly been a big part of Bolton’s resurgence.

The club now find themselves level on points (15) with Avenue and Altrincham Hale in the pack chasing the top three, though a nine-point gap to third placed Stockport Georgians leaves that group with work to do.

A win at the weekend will feel imperative for Bolton not only to continue their recent burst of form, but to keep their current position as the ‘best of the rest.’ Central meanwhile will hope to turn their encouraging performances into results sooner rather than later.

Despite a mixture of errors that have cost Central in recent weeks, there will be an air of misfortune among the Central players who have seen a return to form in front of goal after a difficult scoring season last year.

If they are to pick up a win, there will need to be a huge improvement defensively. There have been too many times this season where Central have let games slip due to a lack of concentration or silly errors.

It will have been a huge focus for Tomkinson during the week who will be hoping for more solidarity at the back, whilst the meeting between the two sides could prove to be tightly contested after the last two were decided by a one-goal margin back in 2021.

The game is set to kick off at 15:00pm at Seashell Trust on Saturday 11 November. The referee will be Adaam Hidrey.