Under-strength Bolton crash out

GARY MEGSON paid the price for fielding an under-strength side as Bolton followed Everton and Spurs out of this season’s UEFA Cup at the last-16 stage.

Against a Bolton side shorn of several stars an unremarkable Sporting clinched their quarter-final place via Bruno Pereirinha’s 85th-minute strike to give them a 2-1 win aggregate victory.

There was no Kevin Nolan, Jussi Jaaskelainen, Kevin Davies, Matt Taylor, El Hadji Diouf, Andy O’Brien, Ricardo Gardner, Ivan Campo or Gavin McCann for this clash at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.