What we made of Bolton Wanderers

Robert Hurst, from the Bolton Wanderers fan site Burnden Aces, answered our questions. But first we answered his: …

Bolton travel to Sunderland on Tuesday evening and we have got the views of a Black Cats supporter ahead of the game. Following a 2-2 draw between the two sides at the Reebok Stadium, Dougie Freedman takes his side to the Stadium of Light for an FA Cup third round replay – with the winners facing a home tie against Everton in the next round.

Ahead of the game, we have got the views of Colin Randall from Salut! Sunderland. In the latest edition of Q&A, we get his views on Bolton’s relegation from the Premier League, their chances of an immediate return and who the winners will be in Tuesday’s clash.

Q: Sunderland currently occupy 14th place in the Premier League. How has this season been for you?

A: A strange mixture of promising and awful. An opening sequence of draws meant we hadn’t lost, but also hadn’t won. This was followed by a disappointing run that would have rooted us in the bottom three but for Steven Fletcher’s goals.

Now we are playing emphatically better, but with remaining weaknesses that must be resolved..

Sunderland reached the quarter finals of the FA Cup last season. How well do you think you can do this year?

What we can do and what we will do may be poles apart. Of course, we should beat Bolton in the replay and be good enough, for once, to beat Everton.

Hopefully we can mark the 40th anniversary of our last FA Cup final win with a run all the way to Wembley, but half a century of watching Sunderland is a great preparation for disappointment.

Bolton were relegated from the Premier League last season. Do you think Wanderers deserved to go down?

I am always sad when a northern team loses out to the benefit of a southern one. We beat you comfortably at the Reebok at a time when we were pretty useless and that suggested you had grave problems.

Bolton are currently in 16th in the Championship. Do you think promotion could be a possibility for Wanderers?

The gap between you and sixth place is 10 points, so you need not only a pulsating run, but for others to fall away. It looks too high a mountain to climb for this season.

Steven Fletcher is in good form so far this season, with eight Premier League goals. Who else should Wanderers be wary of on Tuesday?
A: The whole team played well, for a change, on Saturday.

If Stephane Sessegnon plays, he is a handful. As a friend put it, if could shoot there’d be a queue of Champions League clubs after him. David Vaughan was superb in midfield – his first PL start, bizarrely – and Sebastian Larsson had his best game of the season.

The performance that swept away West Ham would also be too good for Bolton, but you and I both know that is not always how it works in football.

Which Bolton player do you think Martin O’Neill will be earmarking as a potential threat to Sunderland’s goal?

It is the sort of game that Kevin Davies should relish, if involved, and Chung-Yong Lee looks impressive.

Finally, what do you think the final score will be at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday?

I always go for heart above head but on this occasion, they concur. 2-0 to Sunderland.

* Burnden Aces would like to thank Colin for volunteering to answer our questions. You can read more from him and the views of other Black Cats supporters by checking out Salut! Sunderland.