Dapo Afolayan makes it 12 goals for the season as Bolton defeat Cambridge

Posted Wednesday, February 02, 2022 by PA

Top scorer Dapo Afolayan’s 12th goal of the season helped move Bolton up to 11th in Sky Bet League One thanks to a 2-0 win over Cambridge.

Afolayan’s stunning 69th-minute strike secured a fourth successive clean sheet win for Ian Evatt’s rapidly improving side.

Wanderers, buoyed by last Saturday’s 6-0 humiliation of Sunderland that cost Lee Johnson his job, were soon into the groove again.

A hat-trick of chances fell Marlon Fossey’s way and Dimitar Mitov saved superbly from Dion Charles.

Eventually, striker Amadou Bakayoko tapped in Declan John’s cross for his sixth goal of the campaign after 39 minutes.

Cambridge, who lost key defender Jack Iredale to injury before half-time, had just enjoyed their best spell with Sam Smith heading fractionally over from Iredale’s cross.

The U’s were 1-0 winners of the reverse fixture and arrived at the Uni Bol unbeaten in the league in 2022.

But they could not keep pace with the Trotters and James Trafford routinely became the first keeper in Bolton history to keep the opposition scoreless in four successive games since debuting.

Wanderers wrapped up the points when Charles caught James Brophy in possession and set up Afolayan to score decisively from 12 yards.