This match was billed as a yardstick for Ipswich Town, to see how they might cope with life in the Premiership.
Yard off - Ipswich goalscorer Tommy Wright just cannot get close enought to Bolton's Fernando Hierro. 40220-11
And, having finished soundly beaten, you could argue they still have plenty to learn, especially in terms of taking chances.
Bolton illustrated three examples of top-flight - not to mention top-class - finishing to swing the pendulum their way in the second half.
But there were mitigating circumstances for Ipswich. And they can take heart from the way they battled against their illustrious opponents. In fact, for an hour the match was still finely balanced.
With Drissa Diallo and Richard Naylor injured, and Matt Richards under the weather through illness, they were forced to play fledgling full-back Scott Mitchell. Fabian Wilnis moved to centre-half, which meant three full-backs in the back four.
Not that they would make excuses. Bolton upped the tempo and were ruthless after the break, even if the final score flattered them slightly. Three goals in nine minutes transformed the game, during a frenetic spell midway through the second half.
Substitute El-Hadji Diouf was the architect with perfectly-weighted through balls. The first was for Stelios Giannakopoulos - played onside by Mitchell - and the Greek international coolly slid a low shot past Kelvin Davis.
Then the on-loan Liverpool man fed Henrik Pedersen, who drilled his low shot across goal inside the far post.
He also scored the best goal of the afternoon, after Kevin Nolan robbed Mitchell. He pushed the ball forward and Pedersen, having knocked the ball wide of Jason De Vos, bent his shot across goal and beyond Davis.
Town were stunned, having seen their dreams extinguished in such a short space of time.
They managed to pull one back almost straight away, although it was too little, too late.
Shefki Kuqi knocked the ball in from the right, Pablo Counago held it up and Tommy Miller - having only been on the pitch a little over ten minutes - stroked a right-foot effort beyond Jussi Jaaskelainen.
More in today's Evening Gazette
Published Monday, January 10, 2005
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