Stoke City 2-2 Bolton Wanderers
Match Reports,
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Bolton Wanderers' 11-year stay in the Premier League is over after they could only draw 2-2 at Stoke City.
As it turned out Owen Coyle's side would have avoided the drop if they had won the match as QPR conceded two stoppage-time goals at Manchester City to lose 3-2 on an unbelievably dramatic final day.
Bolton had come from behind to lead 2-1 at the interval but Jonathan Walters' late penalty consigned Coyle's team to their fate.
Bolton started the match very poorly and deservedly fell behind in the 13th minute, although it was a controversial goal, Walters bundling the ball past Adam Bogdan when the goalkeeper appeared to have been fouled.
It took Bolton 30 minutes to get into the match but the encounter and, it seemed at the time, their season, appeared to have been turned around when they scored two goals in six minutes just before the break.
In the 39th minute, Robert Huth's clearance hit Mark Davies and ricocheted into the back of the net before, just before half time, Kevin Davies' cross-cum-shot somehow found its way into Thomas Sorensen's net.
The second half was a tepid affair and it appeared as though Stoke's long season had finally caught up with them. The Bolton players seemed to be affected by the news that QPR were winning at the Etihad Stadium and they conceded a penalty with only 14 minutes left when Bogdan was harshly adjudged to have brought Crouch down.
Walters slammed home the spot-kick to score the goal which ultimately condemned Bolton to the drop.


