‘We struggled’ - Derby County boss gives blunt post match verdict as Bolton welcome back 17-goal striker

League leaders Portsmouth may have been held to a 0-0 draw with strugglers Charlton Athletic, but there was still plenty to smile about for John Mousinho’s men as they moved a point further ahead of their immediate fellow Championship contenders.

Pompey were a long way from their best at the Valley and failed to score for the first time since a 0-0 draw with Exeter City back in December. However, they still fared better than promotion rivals Derby County, who slipped to a 2-1 loss away to last season’s play-off finalists Barnsley. Adam Phillips scored twice for the hosts to secure the points after an early opener from Derby’s Sonny Bradley. 

The defeat marked Derby’s second loss of 2024 and their eighth loss of the campaign. Manager Paul Warne was critical of his side’s use of possession at times and claimed that the lack of focal point in attack was a key factor.

Warne told the club website: “We’re obviously disappointed. I thought we were poor in the first half. I didn’t think we had any personality on the ball. However, Barnsley are a very young, athletic team and they just come after you.

“We don’t have a natural ‘number nine’ right now, so it’s awkward and there’s no focal point. We struggled to keep the ball and that’s credit to the opposition. In the second half, I thought we were significantly better and ironically they scored following our good bit of play. We didn’t create any gilt-edged chances, though.”

Derby take on Nathan Jones’ Charlton in their next match. Hoping to start the game will be new signing Dwight Gayle. The ex-Newcastle forward was given 30 minutes of action from the bench and was praised by the manager. Warne said: “It was good to get him out there. We automatically looked better when there was a nine in the middle of the pitch.”

Bolton could welcome back talismanic striker against Wigan

Portsmouth also fared better than Bolton at the weekend but Ian Evatt's could thrust top scorer Dion Charles back into action against Wigan tomorrow as the team looks to bounce back from their sloppy 4-1 defeat to Blackpool. The Northern Ireland striker has missed the last three games with a knee injury, with the team winning just one match in that period. 

The Bolton News reports that Charles is in contention to return to the starting line-up in a huge boost for the fans. Charles currently leads Bolton’s scoring charts with 17 goals in all competitions, including an eighth best 13 in the league.