Saturday 31 Dec 2022

NI Player Watch | Eoin Toal nets first goal for Bolton

Eoin Toal scored his first goal since joining Bolton Wanderers in the summer as the Trotters drew 1-1 with ten-man Lincoln City in League Two on Friday evening. 

The former Armagh City and Derry City defender, who was joined in the Bolton starting XI by Conor Bradley and Dion Charles, was delighted to have opened his account after levelling the scores when he headed home from a corner in the 58th minute.

“To get the equaliser was a good experience,” he told the club website. “It gave me a great lift and hopefully we can kick on now.”

The 23-year-old has now started the last four games for Ian Evatt’s side and he admitted he is enjoying getting a run in the team.

“It’s good to get a few games under my belt, especially league games,” he added. “It’s been a good end to the year.

“Hopefully I can kick on now and, as a group as well, we can kick on and get some more points on the board.”

Elsewhere in League One Luke Southwood, who is on loan at Cheltenham Town from Reading, kept his ninth clean sheet of the season as the Robins recorded a 1-0 victory at Shrewsbury Town, who had Tom Flanagan and Carl Winchester in their side.

In the Championship winger Gavin Whyte was a second-half substitute for Cardiff City whose match at Coventry City ended goalless while Conor Washington, Shane Ferguson, Ali McCann and Shayne Lavery also got some game time after being used off the bench by their respective clubs.

Meanwhile Sunderland rested Corry Evans for their emphatic 4-1 success at bottom of the table Wigan, although Daniel Ballard played his third game for the Black Cats since returning from injury while Trai Hume excelled at right-wing-back after making just his third start of the campaign.

“Obviously coming in and performing the way I did, I thought I performed well,” said Hume, who provided the assist for the visitors opening goal. “The team in general performed excellently and I thought we pressed them from the start.

“It was good I could put it across for Ellis (Simms) to tap it in. Playing wing-back you are trying to arrive in the box at the back post.”

In League Two Ethan Galbraith scored his third of the season for Salford City who are now just a point off the play-off places following a comfortable 4-1 win at Grimsby Town, however, striker Paul Smyth had to pull out of Leyton Orient’s starting line-up at the last minute after pulling a quad muscle in the warm-up.

Finally, Jonny Evans’ calf muscle injury meant he was again missing from the Leicester City team which fell to a 2-1 Premier League defeat to Liverpool at Anfield.