Jack Aitchison's first-half strike was cruelly cancelled out by Sam Dalby and Thierry Gale as Bolton Wanderers overcame Exeter City to claim all three points at the Toughsheet Community Stadium.
City arrived in the cold North-West in a confident mood, buoyed by back-to-back victories over Wycombe Wanderers in the FA Cup and AFC Wimbledon in the league. Bolton, by contrast, were looking to build momentum of their own after a heavy defeat to League Two Swindon in the FA Cup was followed by a narrow midweek win over Mansfield Town in the league.
A heavily rotated Grecian side was fielded in the first half, with Jack Fitzwater serving a ban for an accumulation of yellow cards. After a cameo in Tuesday night's win against the Dons, Sonny Cox was reintroduced to the starting XI and the front-line alongside veteran striker Josh Magennis. The young defensive duo of Sil Swinkels and Luca Woodhouse also featured in the back three alongside club captain Pierce Sweeney.
First Half
It was the hosts who began on the front foot, City content to sit deep and absorb early pressure before trying to spring Bolton on the counter-attack. Wanderers enjoyed plenty of the ball during this period but found City’s defensive shape difficult to break down.
The game burst into life around the quarter-hour mark as Bolton stepped up the intensity. A sudden swing in momentum came however when a clearance from the hosts dropped invitingly into the path of Josh Magennis inside the Bolton half, but home goalkeeper Luke Sharman-Lowe showed good awareness, racing from his area to head clear and avert the danger.
City’s disciplined approach paid dividends when Jack Aitchison capitalised on a costly error from Sharman-Lowe in the 20th minute. The Bolton keeper misjudged a header with the ball finding it's way to Aitchison 35-yards out, who calmly guided the ball into the empty net to spark jubilant celebrations among the travelling Grecians and add to the Scotsman's goal tally after a brace seven days prior.
The goal stunned the home crowd and City immediately reverted to their organised defensive approach. Bolton pushed to restore parity, but the City back line stood firm. A curling delivery to the far post was one of the few moments of genuine threat, though Woodhouse tracked it well and allowed it to run out for a goal kick.
As half-time approached, Ilmari Niskanen found space on the left and cut inside, shaping to shoot from range, but a bobble at the crucial moment snuffed out the chance and City went into the break with a slender lead.
Second Half
City emerged from the break with a single change; Sonny Cox making way for Akeel Higgins in a pre-planned precautionary change following his return to action but 4 days earlier. Bolton also looked to freshen things up, with Thierry Gale introduced at the break. The winger created the home side’s first real opening of the half, firing a low effort from the left of the area that Whitworth did well to palm away.
The familiar pattern soon re-emerged, with Bolton applying sustained pressure and City defending resolutely. Doyle-Hayes was outstanding at the heart of the defence, repeatedly throwing himself in front of shots and acting as a vital shield for the back line.
Play was halted temporarily when Magennis went down injured, giving Gary Caldwell and his staff the opportunity to regroup a City side during pivotal moments of the game. Jayden Wareham was introduced to the field after Magennis' attempt to continue play came crashing down and forced the substitution.
City survived a huge scare in the 65th minute when a Bolton header at the back post beat Whitworth, only for Niskanen to produce a heroic goal-line header to preserve the lead. However, the pressure eventually told four minutes later. A Bolton effort struck the post and Sam Dalby reacted quickest to tap home the rebound and level the scores.
The home side sensed blood. Niskanen was then penalised for a foul on the right edge of the City box, the resultant free-kick from Josh Sheehan’s drifting wide of the far post. As the game edged towards its conclusion, Bolton finally found the decisive moment, with Gale curling a fine finish past Whitworth to put the hosts 2–1 ahead.
City refused to lie down, and Caldwell rolled the dice late on, introducing McDonald and Oakes in the 86th minute in search of a deserved equaliser. Despite their efforts, the Grecians could not force a late breakthrough, departing with a scoreline that arguably flattered the home side after a performance that more than matched their opponents for long spells.
Up Next:
City are in back in action this Saturday, taking on Barnsley at St James Park in a 3pm kick-off in our final home game of 2025. Tickets can be purchased here.
Match Details:
Bolton Wanderers XI:Sharman-Lowe (GK), Johnston, Toal, Cozier- Duberry, Cissoko (Gale 46'), Erhahon (Dempsey 71'), Fross (Simons 83'), Conway, Christie (Osei-Tutu 61'), Burstow (Dalby 61')
Subs not used: Miller (GK), Forino, Simins
Yellow Cards:
Goals: Dalby 70', Gale 82'
Exeter City XI: Whitworth (GK), Niskanen, Sweeney (C), Swinkels, Woodhouse, McMillan, Doyle-Hayes (McDonald 87'), Brierley (Oakes 87'), Aitchison (Cole 74'), Cox (Higgins 46'), Magennis (Wareham 63')
Subs not used:Bycroft (GK), Francis
Yellow Cards: Niskanen 73', Swinkels 78', Doyle-Hayes 80', Sweeney 89'
Goals: Aitchison 20'
Attendance: 20,622