Bolton boss Ian Evatt revealed Randell Williams saved himself an ear-bashing from team-mates by scoring the decisive goal in Wanderers’ mixed-bag display as they beat Northampton 2-1.
Williams scored for the first time since last February while the former Exeter and Hull player’s shot also led to Northern Ireland international Dion Charles opening Bolton’s account.
Sam Hoskins’ sixth goal of the campaign midway through the second half gave Town an unlikely sniff of a point, leaving both managers frustrated.
“It is a good job Randell did score,” said Evatt as Bolton climbed to fourth, albeit five points outside the top two.
“Had he rolled it across the face there were three strikers waiting to tap it in. They wouldn’t have been too happy (had he not scored).
“But credit to Randell, he finished it off well. For the first goal Dion sniffed the chance but Randell was in a good position taking the shot which we know he can do.”
Two-nil up in 16 minutes, the home side failed to capitalise as Evatt recognised.
“The first had was as good as we have played this season,” he said. “Some of our approach play was excellent.
“So, when we smell blood we need to finish the game off because 2-0 is a funny scoreline.
“We have to develop a ruthless streak but we are only going to get that stage by learning.
“All the messages we gave at half-time went out of the window because of the way we started and it spread throughout the team.
“We were loose and kept turning over the ball. It wasn’t just one player it was everybody.
“They got a momentum and there was a feel of nerves. We go back into ‘see the game out mode’ which isn’t really us.”
Town boss Jon Brady was left to rue his team’s poor start.
“Overall, it was frustrating we didn’t get a point from the game,” he said. “But you cannot start like we started against a high-quality side like Bolton.
“We were disjointed in the way we pressed but it was not meant to be that way.
“We came out of holes and they picked us off quite easily. It was too easy to get through both goals.
“It meant I had to make changes at half-time because I couldn’t accept the way we were playing. I felt the changes made a big difference.
“In the secondd half, it showed we can be competitive and the way we can play .
“You can credit them and Bolton play good football but we made it way too easy for them and that was the disappointing thing.”
Tuchel bemoans lack of focus as Bayern slump to final-day defeat
Departing Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel was unhappy with his team's lack of focus following their 4-2 loss at Hoffenheim on Saturday.
Bayern threw away a two-goal lead, condemning them to a third-place finish behind unbeaten Bayern Leverkusen and Stuttgart
After failing to win the Bundesliga title for a 12th consecutive season, Tuchel's side will also go without domestic or European silverware for the first time in more than a decade.
"We started really well, but then we had a string of individual mistakes," Tuchel said in a short press conference.
The coach is leaving Bayern after just over a year in charge after the club announced his departure in February. There had been talks to potentially reverse that decision last week, but no agreement was reached.
"In the second half we played well for 15 minutes, but then it was again a series of individual mistakes and loss of possession," Tuchel said. "We gave away a two-goal lead for a completely unnecessary and bitter defeat."
Despite a string of injury absences, Bayern were 2-0 up by the sixth minute but Hoffenheim scored four times, including an Andrej Kramaric hat-trick in the second half to turn the game around.
"It happens far too often, like that. It happened in Stuttgart where we conceded two late goals [for a 3-1 defeat]. In Heidenheim, the same [for a 3-2 loss]. Here the same. It just happens too often," Tuchel added.
"I have an explanation for that, but it is not for the public."
Bayern's Aleksandar Pavlovic, who is part of Germany's preliminary Euro 2024 squad, went off injured early in the match and will undergo further tests.
"He twisted his ankle. We will have to wait and see what the checks show," Tuchel said.
Man City will come back fighting after WSL title loss - Taylor
Gareth Taylor says that Manchester City will "come back fighting" after losing out on the Women’s Super League title on the final day.
City beat Aston Villa 2-1 thanks to goals from Mary Fowler and Lauren Hemp on Saturday, but ultimately fell just short, missing out to Chelsea on goal difference.
Emma Hayes led the Blues to a fifth consecutive WSL title with a 6-0 thrashing of Manchester United at Old Trafford, having made up their inferior goal difference with an equally impressive 8-0 win over Bristol City two weeks ago.
Taylor has reflected on a "mix of emotions" after narrowly missing out on being champions.
Speaking to BBC Sport after the game, he said: "I feel really proud of the team's performance. The mad thing is we could have maybe scored double figures today quite easily. That's the difference.
"To win 18 games in the season and still come up short is not easy but we have. It's been a big push from the team, we've worked incredibly hard, and we'll come back fighting."
When asked what lessons City can take from this season, Taylor added: "We need to improve in all areas. We have to have potentially better options from the sidelines. I think that's really key.
"I'm so enthusiastic about the way we played today. A lot of the stuff we did was really good. That's what inspires me to get up in the morning and fight for next season's title."
Goalkeeper Khiara Keating became the youngest-ever Golden Glove winner in her breakout season, as the 19-year-old kept nine clean sheets in 22 league games and conceded just 15 goals in total.
While disappointed about Saturday’s outcome, Keating looked back on the highlights of her season.
She said: "Obviously we are disappointed. We wanted to go out and win a trophy today. We knew what we had to do, and we didn't quite get it done.
"Hopefully next season in the Champions League we can show what we're about and go and win some trophies.
"From a personal point of view, my breakout season had a lot to prove at the start of the season, everyone was kind of.. Not doubting but wondering what I'd be like. I hope I've shown everyone what I can do.
"Gaz [Taylor] put his faith in me to go and play how I play and that is what I needed to go out there and do what I did this season."
Union Berlin survive Bundesliga relegation after stoppage-time winner against Freiburg
Union Berlin scored a stoppage-time winner against Freiburg to secure their Bundesliga safety, despite missing two penalties on a dramatic final day.
Marco Grote's side, who participated in the Champions League during the first half of this season under former coach Urs Fischer, occupied the relegation play-off spot heading into the final day of the campaign.
Just three points clear of 17th-place Koln, who travelled to Heidenheim, they welcomed Freiburg to Stadion An der Alten Forsterei, knowing a defeat could spell the end of their five-year stay in the German top flight.
Mainz, two points clear of Union in 15th, moved themselves out of the relegation picture with a commanding 3-1 win at Wolfsburg.
That meant one of Union, Bochum or Koln would join already relegated Darmstadt in the second tier. One would have to settle for a play-off place, while the other would survive.
Koln went down 4-1 at Heidenheim, while Bochum's defeat at Werder Bremen by the same scoreline meant Union could leapfrog them with victory over Freiburg.
The hosts, for whom Josip Juranovic missed a first-half penalty, broke the deadlock in the 68th minute through Benedict Hollerbach.
However, they looked set for a relegation play-off when Ritsu Doan equalised for the visitors with five minutes remaining, before substitute Kevin Volland struck the post with his spot-kick early in stoppage time.
Nevertheless, there was to be a dramatic late twist as Janik Haberer struck in the 92nd minute to catapult Union out of the bottom three and to safety in 15th place.
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