Bolton 1-2 Huddersfield: Substitute Rajiv van La Parra and Danny Williams on target as David Wagner's men book FA Cup fourth round spot

  • Huddersfield's Rajiv van La Parra came off the bench to steer home from close range to break the deadlock
  • Danny William's speculative long-ranged effort paid off as it deflected into the top corner to double their lead
  • The home side were not dead and buried just yet though and halved the deficit through Derik Osede's header

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A Roses match between two previous FA Cup winners offered an easier passage into round four for Huddersfield than their German manager David Wagner anticipated.

The Premier League club, victors way back in 1921-22, made eight changes for the trip across the Pennines but progressed against four-time winners Bolton courtesy of a scrappy, quickfire double at the start of the second half.

Substitute Rajiv van la Parra stabbed in at the near post from a corner to provide a 51st-minute lead at the Macron Stadium. Then, 60 seconds later, Danny Williams' deflected long-range effort rendered Derik Osede's headed response futile. 


Huddersfield midfielder Danny Williams celebrated with his stunned team-mates after his long-ranged shot deflected in

Huddersfield midfielder Danny Williams celebrated with his stunned team-mates after his long-ranged shot deflected in

Huddersfield substitute Rajiv van La Parra turned the ball beyond Mark Howard in the Bolton goal to give the visitors the lead

Huddersfield substitute Rajiv van La Parra turned the ball beyond Mark Howard in the Bolton goal to give the visitors the lead

Derik Osede managed to pull a goal back with a header at the back post but it proved futile as Huddersfield ran out winners

Derik Osede managed to pull a goal back with a header at the back post but it proved futile as Huddersfield ran out winners

MATCH FACTS

Bolton (4-4-2): Howard 8; Little 6 (Hall 85mins), Beevers 6, Wheater 5.5, Robinson 6; Ameobi 6 (Noone 76mins), Derik 7, Vela 7 (King 85), Morais 7.5; Le Fondre 6, Wilbraham 5

Subs not used: A Taylor, Alnwick, Darby, Earing

Goal: Derik 64 

Booked: Vela, Ameobi

Huddersfield (4-2-3-1): Coleman 6; Smith 7, Kongolo 6, Hefele 6 (Whitehead 85), Malone 6; Hogg 6, Williams 8; Lolley 5.5 (Billing 76), Sabiri 7, Quaner 6 (Van La Parra 39, 7); Depoitre 7

Subs not used: Green, Whitehead, Mounie, Hadergjonaj, O'Brien

Goals: Van La Parra 51, Williams 52 

Booked: Hefele, Coleman

Referee: Roger East 7

Man of the Match: Williams

Attendance: 11, 574

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'To be honest, I expected more difficulty because we had so many players who had never played as a unit together. If you think about this, this was a very professional, very solid performance,' said Wagner.

'Everybody knows how difficult it can be in the cup when you play an opponent from the league below you.' 

Huddersfield, who gave a debut to on-loan Monaco defender Terence Kongolo, offered little threat going forward in the opening period as they appeared to struggle for attacking fluency on the back of eight changes but grew into the contest.

And their quick double strike threatened to make their passage into the fourth round a comfortable one.

Showing greater urgency upon the resumption, David Wagner's team went in front when Sabiri's corner was stabbed in at the near post by substitute Van la Parra.

The celebrations from the couple of thousand travelling supporters had barely receded when they found their team 2-0 up courtesy of a huge dollop of good fortune.

Former Reading midfielder Williams, not averse to a long-range shot, lined up an effort from 30 yards and his strike ricocheted off Mark Beevers to leave the diving Mark Howard helpless as the ball spun into the middle of the goal.

At that point Wagner's decision to make such sweeping alterations to a side with just two Premier League wins in 11 appeared vindicated.

But the character of injury-hit Bolton - whose prospects of Championship survival have taken a sharp upturn following four wins from seven attempts – ensured a competitive finale.

The two opposing managers David Wagner and Phil Parkinson embrace prior to kick-off of their FA Cup third-round clash

The two opposing managers David Wagner and Phil Parkinson embrace prior to kick-off of their FA Cup third-round clash

Laurent Depoitre tracks back to do his defensive duties as he applies pressure on Bolton's Antonee Robinson

Laurent Depoitre tracks back to do his defensive duties as he applies pressure on Bolton's Antonee Robinson

Midfielder Abdelhamid Sabiri controls the ball under pressure from Derik Osede to retain possession for his side

Midfielder Abdelhamid Sabiri controls the ball under pressure from Derik Osede to retain possession for his side

Huddersfield debutant Terence Kongolo tussles to win possession of the ball with Bolton forward Adam Le Fondre

Huddersfield debutant Terence Kongolo tussles to win possession of the ball with Bolton forward Adam Le Fondre

With Darren Pratley and Karl Henry ruled out through a broken leg and pulled hamstring respectively, Josh Vela recovered from illness to partner Derik Osede in a makeshift central midfield. 

And, according to Parkinson, they were also hamstrung by the failure of referee Roger East to penalise Abdelhamid Sabiri's lunge on David Wheater in the build-up to Williams' strike that was re-directed into the net off Wanderers centre-back Mark Beevers.

'The lad's gone right over the top of the ball and the state of Wheater's leg - he's very, very lucky to not have a serious injury. I'm going to ask the referee how he's missed it because it was right in front of him,' Parkinson said. 'It's cost us a goal that's probably cost us a replay.' 

Osede provided the hope of retaining an interest in this year's competition when he met Filipe Morais' 64th-minute corner with a downward header that spiralled off the turf and under the crossbar.

It was a lifeline that could have been relinquished within seconds but Williams' ferocious drive from 20 yards was helped over the crossbar by a full-stretch Mark Howard's fingertips.

Howard then beat out another Williams effort from a diminishing angle seven minutes from time after Sabiri broke through the middle of the Bolton defence only to languish on the ball too long.

But these were isolated saves in a match of few chances. Indeed, the only attempts on goal during a tepid opening half saw Huddersfield's Jonathan Hogg caress a sidefooter woefully over the top and Aaron Wilbraham respond by planting a free header wide following incisive wing trickery from Morais.

Bolton winger Sammy Ameobi skillfully cuts back to escape the attention of several Huddersfield players

Bolton winger Sammy Ameobi skillfully cuts back to escape the attention of several Huddersfield players

Le Fondre defends from the front by timing his sliding challenge to perfection to catch Kongolo sleeping in possession

Le Fondre defends from the front by timing his sliding challenge to perfection to catch Kongolo sleeping in possession

Bolton defender Osede celebrates after ghosting in unmarked to head in at the back post to halve the deficit

Bolton defender Osede celebrates after ghosting in unmarked to head in at the back post to halve the deficit