Bolton Wanderers took on local rivals Wigan Athletic this afternoon in a behind closed doors pre-season friendly.
Wanderers have played three times so far ahead of the new League One season. They followed up wins against Longridge Town and Chorley with a draw earlier this week against Stockport County.
The Latics meanwhile have played just once so far this pre-season before the Championship season gets under way. The League One champions beat Bamber Bridge 5-1 on the road.
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These two sides locked horns on three occasions last season. The Latics beat the Whites on penalties following a goalless draw in the Carabao Cup second round and won 4-0 at the University of Bolton Stadium in League One, while Wanderers came from behind to claim a point in a 1-1 draw at the DW Stadium in the reverse fixture.
And this afternoon at Bolton's training ground, the two sides took on one another in a behind closed doors friendly. Leam Richardson's men edged a tight contest 1-0 thanks to Charlie Wyke's first half penalty, after Elias Kachunga missed and earlier spot kick for the Whites.
Graeme Shinnie saw an early effort go over the bar after Aaron Morley's block. Wanderers had a goal ruled out for offside when Jon Dadi Bodvarsson slotted home after Kachunga's good work on eight minutes, but the strike was ruled out for offside. Good work from Jack Iredale down the left teed up Dapo Afolayan and Ben Amos kept the effort out with his feet.
Conor Bradley saw a 13th minute effort blocked by Joe Bennett, while James Trafford had to gather a cross at the other end at the second attempt under pressure from Callum Lang. Morley took aim after winning possession back on 19 minutes and forced Amos into action.
Afolayan had a shot collected by Amos on 25 minutes, while Max Power ought to have done better at the other end with an effort from outside the box before the half-hour mark. But Wanderers won a penalty when Bradley went down in the box under Graeme Shinnie's challenge, but Kachunga skied the spot kick well over the bar as the Whites squandererd the chance to take the lead.
Iredale was then adjudged to have brought Jamie McGrath down in the box at the other end and Wyke fired straight down the middle to give the Latics the lead.
Iredale got down the left flank five minutes before the break and crossed for Afolayan whose header was claimed by Amos. Shinnie blasted well over on the stroke on half-time as Wigan went in leading at the break.
The Latics made 11 changes as the break while Wanderers kept faith with the same team as the first half. Morley charged into the box five minutes after the restart and tried to find a white shirt but to no avail.
A great cross field pass from George Johnston was met by Bradley on the right flank and the Liverpool loanee charged into the box but blasted over as the opportunity came and went. Afolayan got into the box on the 55 minute mark but a well timed Jason Kerr tackle stopped him .
Jones put in a dangerous cross just before the hour mark, while Johnston should have scored from close range not long after as Wanderers should have equalised while the Latics struggled to carve out many clear cut opportunities.
After so many changes were made by both sides, the contest turned into a fragmented one as neither side was able to string together a sustained period of possession or create any chances.
Dixon pulled off a fantastic fingertip stop to deny Thelo Aasgaard 12 minutes from the break, before Kieran Lee cleared off the line from Kerr's header off the resulting corner. Will Aimson later headed wide at the other end from Kieran Sadlier's free kick.
Wanderers strang together a nice passage of play in the 86th minute when Thomason found Lee on the edge of the box and Jamie Jones had to get down low to keep the effort out. Aasgaard saw a late free-kick go over the wall and the goal as the Latics claimed victory in a contest that the hosts will probably feel they ought to have got someting from.
Bolton starting team: Trafford (Dixon 62); Jones (Aimson 60), Santos (Senior 62), Johnston (Conway 64); Bradley (Sadlier 60), Dempsey (Williams 62), Morley (Thomason 62), Iredale (John 60); Afolayan (Lee 62); Kachunga (Charles 62), Bodvarsson (Stanley 62).
Wigan starting team: Amos; Bennett, Whatmough, Carragher; McGrath, Power, Lang, Shinnie, Pearce; Humphries, Wyke.
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