An inexperienced Wanderers U18 side suffered a 7-0 reverse away at Sunderland on Saturday afternoon.
 
Boasting seven players from the club's Under 16 set-up in the match day squad, the Whites' youngsters started the game in the worst way possible by conceding a penalty kick just five minutes in.
 
Having found themselves behind, the team proceeded to concede another four goals inside the opening 45 minutes to ensure that the hosts went into the break with a seemingly unassailable lead.
 
Despite a more determined performance by Bolton in front of goal in the second half, the Black Cats went onto add another two strikes to their tally to run out handsome winners.
 
Speaking following the final whistle, coach David Lee admitted his disappointment at the scoreline of the game but was adamant that it is ultimately a result that will stand his youngsters in good stead for the rest of the season.
 
"It wasn't a great result on paper, but we came up against a very experienced Sunderland side who we just couldn't deal with.
 
"We had a lot of younger players involved today including William Jaaskelainen and Alex Honeyball who featured against Stoke last weekend - although this will be a tough result to take for them, they need to look at it as a great learning curve in the long run.
 
"We didn't help ourselves by conceding the penalty so early on, and then it was a number of individual mistakes which cost us dearly.
 
"The players weren't clinical enough in front of goal either - with the few opportunities that we had, we failed to test their goalkeeper which is frustrating."
 
He added: "We're disappointed, but we can't dwell on this game. We've had some great performances this season which haven't got the results that they've deserved, so we just need to pick ourselves up and prepare ourselves for our game against Wolves next week."
 
Bolton: Jaaskelainen, Greenaugh, Honeyball, Kennedy (Henry), Ball, Bailey, Newby, Griffiths, Hinchliffe, Torres, Thomas (Nelson)

Dougie Freedman says his side’s season will not be defined by away results and stressed the importance of bouncing back in two upcoming home games at the Reebok.

Bolton’s eight-game unbeaten run came to an end when Middlesbrough, under the guidance of new boss Aitor Karanka, claimed all three points in a closely-contested affair at the Riverside Stadium.

And speaking after the game the manager said he felt his side warranted a point.

“All in all I thought it was a very close game. I don’t feel like we’ve lost three points today, because we didn’t do enough to win the game. I feel as if we’ve lost one.

“Despite losing the game, there’s no blame attached to any of my players. When it comes down to it, they’ve taken their chances in front of goal and we’ve missed ours.

“We managed to wrestle possession back in the second half after some very resolute defending in the first. We created one or two opportunities and on another we would have come away from the game with a result.

“At the moment we’re certainly defending very well. We need to make sure we take the opportunities when we create them.

“We had been conceding too many goals, but we seem to have addressed that issue somewhat. In modern-day football you need to be able to defend well really begin to set attacks in motion.

“We’ve got beat today, but games like this won’t decide our season. It’s home games at the Reebok that will prove crucial. Our form there has got to be maintained.

“We’ll pick ourselves up and go again on Tuesday night. We’ll now see if we have any bounce-back-ability in our ranks.”

Bolton Wanderers’ eight game unbeaten run came to an end with a 1-0 defeat at Middlesbrough.

In a tightly fought contest on Teesside, Boro went ahead in the 81st minute through a Grant Leadbitter penalty.

Two minutes from time, Jermaine Beckford had the opportunity to rescue a point for the Whites, again from the penalty spot, after Andre Moritz was fouled, however the striker was unable to keep the ball on target and skied his kick over the bar.

Manager Dougie Freedman named an unchanged side from the one that beat Watford seven days ago at Vicarage Road.

Striker Joe Mason, who joined the Whites on loan from Cardiff City on Wednesday, was named amongst the Bolton substitutes for the clash on Teesside.

Hosts Middlesbrough, who welcomed new head coach Aitor Karanka to the Riverside for the first time, handed Shay Given his first start for the club following his temporary switch from Aston Villa 48 hours previous.    

It was an electric atmosphere ahead of kick-off, with the Boro faithful giving their new boss a warm welcome but the Riverside crowd soon quietened down with neither team able to influence the game inside the opening 20 minutes.

It was a frustrating start to proceedings for both respective managers, with the first talking point coming in the 23rd minute when Leadbitter was handed a yellow card for a strong challenge on Bolton skipper Jay Spearing.

The real battle of the first half took place in the midfield area as both the Whites and Boro battled for possession.

With ten minutes to go before the half time interval, the tempo gradually started to rise as Wanderers won three successive corners but were unable to test former Newcastle United custodian Given.

The best opportunity of the half fell to the hosts in the 39th minute. Winning their first corner of the game, Leadbitter delivered a deep cross into the penalty area for the delayed run of Ben Gibson but the Boro academy graduate powered a header narrowly over the bar.

Both teams were unchanged for the start of the second half but there was certainly a difference in how the game was being played with a faster rhythm compared to the first 45 minutes.

The fans were seeing a far more entertaining contest and within eight minutes of the restart, Bolton put together a lovely quick passing move involving Chung-Yong Lee and Spearing, resulting in striker Jermaine Beckford having full sight on goal but his close range effort was wayward and caused no concern for Given.

Four minutes later and Jamaican international Beckford went close again as Wanderers went in search of their fourth successive win on the road.

A long ball upfield from Kevin McNaughton inside the Boro penalty area dropped over the head of Beckford who tried a first time volley, only to rise over the bar.

As the clock ticked past the hour mark, referee Mark Brown waved away strong appeals for a penalty from Bolton as Beckford looked to have been pushed in the back by a Reds defender.

At the opposite end of the field, Middlesbrough substitute Curtis Main came dangerously close to breaking the deadlock as he let fly a left footed strike from 20 yards which crept inches wide of the post.

Wanderers boss Freedman made his first change of the afternoon with 25 minutes remaining as Pratley makes way for Andre Moritz for the second consecutive game.

With nine minutes to go, the hosts were awarded a spot kick as centre back Tim Ream was alleged to have dragged Middlesbrough’s second substitute of the afternoon Marvin Emnes to his feet just inside the penalty area.

Goalkeeper Andy Lonergan was faced with the task of denying Grant Leadbitter his fourth goal of the  season but the former Sunderland man sent the Wanderers custodian the wrong way to hand his side the lead.

Boss Freedman responded to Middlesbrough’s opener by bringing on French striker David Ngog and fellow attacker Joe Mason, with the latter making his debut for the club.

Despite Middlesbrough taking the lead, Wanderers didn’t let their heads drop and went in search of an equaliser on the Riverside to maintain their unbeaten league run which stretches back to September.

And two minutes remaining, Bolton were given a glorious chance to tie matters when Moritz was hacked down just inside the box, with referee Brown having no alternative but to point to the spot.

Top goal scorer Beckford stepped up but unfortunately the striker couldn’t keep his effort on target and the ball sailed harmlessly over the bar as Boro held on for all three points.

Wanderers will now be looking for an immediate reaction as they welcome Huddersfield Town to the Reebok Stadium on Tuesday evening, 8pm kick off.

Former Wanderers striker Nathan Blake believes new loan signing Joe Mason will form a dynamic partnership with in-form front man Jermaine Beckford at the Reebok Stadium.

Blake has watched Mason develop at Cardiff City in recent seasons during his role as a radio summariser back in his home town and says the Whites are getting a forward of Premier League standard.

He admits it was a surprise to see the highly-rated 22-year-old be allowed to head out on loan this week, but is delighted his old club Bolton won the race to capture his services at the second attempt.

And he is excited about how Mason’s qualities could combine with the lethal finishing of in-form Beckford who goes into today’s game at Middlesbrough with five goals in the last six games.

Blake told The Bolton News: “I have been surprised Joe has not played more this season because I believe he is a Premier League player.

“He is an intelligent footballer who has that striker’s knack of being in the right place at the right time.

He isn’t the quickest, but his thought-process is one step ahead of everyone else. He’s a bit like Peter Beardsley was in that respect.

“Joe could be the ideal foil for someone like Jermaine Beckford. It has the potential to be a dynamic pairing with Jermaine stretching defences and Joe in just behind him.

“I don’t know how Dougie Freedman will use him but that would definitely spice things up in the Championship.

“It is great Bolton have got Joe because I expect a lot of clubs were hoping they could get him on loan.

“He may be young but has a lot of football under his belt.

“Bolton are not just signing someone with potential here; Joe is a ready-made first-teamer who has proved he is capable of scoring goals in the Championship.

“Hopefully, he will do that again and fire Bolton up the league.”

Mason will stay with Wanderers until the new year and boss Dougie Freedman will hope he helps extend the team’s current eight-game unbeaten run.

Blake is backing the Republic of Ireland Under-21 international to do just that.

He added: “It could be just what Joe needs – to be at a good club and playing regular first-team games again.

“I feel sorry for him because he has not had an opportunity this season. It must be a nightmare for him because he was Cardiff’s best player a couple of season’s ago when he scored in the League Cup final.

“Last year he was a big part of the Cardiff team that won the title and promotion.

“Maybe he lacks a little bit of physicality at the moment but I don’t see that as a flaw because he can still hold the ball up well.

“This spell could bring him on as a player because when he matures, like Aaron Ramsey has this season, he will be a good Premier League player, there’s no doubt in my mind.”

New Middlesbrough manager Aitor Karanka will be welcomed by fans waving 6,000 red handkerchiefs at the Riverside this afternoon for his first home match in charge.

But he will hope they are not being used to wipe away tears of disappointment, admitting he could have had an easier test for his debut in the Riverside dugout.

Wanderers head to Teesside off the back of three successive wins on the road and looking to extend an eight-match unbeaten Championship run that stretches back two months to mid-September when they lost to another Spanish boss in the shape of Brighton’s Oscar Garcia.

Karanka is aiming to have Spanish eyes smiling again today but accepts his team faces a tough proposition after losing his first match in charge at Leeds a week ago.

Karanka, who was assistant to Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid, said: “This is a game I’ve been looking forward to since I joined the club two weeks ago.

“I’m looking forward to my first home game and hopefully we can get a result against Bolton that will make the supporters happy.

“Bolton are a good team and they have gone eight games without losing so it won’t be easy. “But the players have worked very hard, their attitude in training has been excellent and they’ve done everything I’ve asked of them.

“The fans were great at Leeds and I’m looking forward to experiencing a game at the Riverside Stadium as a coach.”