Bolton Wanderers 5-2 Reading - Full time match report

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

Charles scored three, two from the penalty spot, with Josh Sheehan and Kyle Dempsey adding the others.

With speculation over his future at Bolton, manager Ian Evatt maintained in midweek that he had enough support inside and outside the board room to turn around what had been a slow start.

Changes were made, included the much discussed decision to swap captains. George Thomason was given the role, taking the armband from Ricardo Santos, and Evatt otherwise went with a ‘back to basics’ approach, reverting to the 3-5-2 formation which had been used throughout last season and bringing back George Johnston, Josh Sheehan and Victor Adeboyejo to his starting line-up.

After the anger and frustration of last weekend’s defeat against Huddersfield Town it was difficult to argue with the view that this was Evatt’s biggest non play-off game in a Bolton dugout.

To their credit, Wanderers’ supporters provided a rousing reception, and that spurred the Whites on to their most impressive start for some time.

Within 11 minutes they were a goal to the good, the returning Sheehan curling a free kick around the wall and inside the post to beat David Button for his first goal since March.

And that was quickly followed by the first penalty of the day for Charles, who had been barged over by Amadou Mbengue chasing on to a short pass from Thomason. A week after being hooked as a half-time substitute, he was already on his way to a first hat-trick at the Toughsheet Stadium.

Charles added his second on 34 minutes, Eoin Toal and Josh Dacres-Cogley having combined well on the right before he slipped past Tyler Bindon to beat Button from the angle.

Reading then nearly got themselves back into the game against all odds, firstly when Ben Elliott prodded a shot in from 12 yards which bounced off the foot of the post, then as Baxter was forced into a marvellous save to push away Mbengue’s downward header.

Just as the wobbles looked to have set in, Charles got another chance from the spot. Adeboyejo was tripped on the very edge of the penalty box and the Northern Ireland international drove home his fifth of the season.

Reading came back at Bolton again at the start of the second half and made a breakthrough with the game’s third penalty. Santos tripped Ben Smith, who then took the ball from Harvey Knibbs to slot home from the spot.

Some signs of nerves started to appear around the home crowd as the snappy football of the first half started to fray at the edges.

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

Wanderers held firm, 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 home a corner from another, Randell Williams, a few minutes before the end.

That prompted the home fans to sing the manager’s name for the first time in the game – a show of support which will no doubt have been music to his ears after a difficult week.

Dempsey nearly made it six in stoppage time, turning a shot straight at keeper Button from Toal’s pass and then hitting the bar during a frantic scramble in the dying throes.

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