Bolton enjoy a lucky streak

WEARING only a pair of black boxer shorts, black socks and black shoes, it was impossible to imagine quite what motivated the male streaker who invaded the Riverside stadium pitch on the rawest of Teesside afternoons.

Certainly, as a bold display of naked ambition, it contrasted sharply with the lack of purpose afflicting Bolton’s disjointed team before the break. With his progress unchecked and his run unchallenged, the man in question had something in common with the Middlesbrough players given unlimited time and space earlier.

And when the ranks of Wanderers’ supporters began chanting “sign him up” they had a point. The ineffectiveness of the isolated Pole, Grzegorz Raziak, suggested Bolton may have been better off employing a lean streaker than a lone striker. Anything, absolutely anything, would have been an improvement on their first 45 minutes.