On-song Celtic loanee produces 'moment of magic' in six-goal thriller as fate sealed in promotion battle
On loan Celtic striker finds target in consecutive games.
On loan Celtic marksman Johnny Kenny scored for the fourth successive game to ignite a remarkable late comeback for ten-man Bolton Wanderers as they rescued a 3-3 draw against Huddersfield Town on Saturday afternoon.
Steven Schumacher's side started Celtic forward Kenny in the number ten role behind the striker again, and saw his side begin the game in perfect fashion when they opened the scoring through Eoin Toll on 14 minutes at the Toughsheet Community Stadium. However, the game turned on its head during a hectic three-minute period that saw David Kasumu level for the visitors just seven minutes after the restart. Just a minute later, Bolton’s Jordi Osei-Tutu was shown a red card for bringing down Kasumu in the box, allowing Marcus Harness to slot home from the penalty spot to give the Terriers a 2-1 lead.
Things went from bad to worse for Bolton shortly afterwards, with Kasumu involved yet again for Huddersfield, as the midfielder’s shot took a wicked deflection off George Johnston and flew past Jack Bonham to give Huddersfield a commanding lead in the 66th minute.
Schumacher’s side refused to let their heads drop though, and find a way back into the game with some neat wing play from Amario Cozier-Duberry set up Kenny to smash home from a tough angle to score his fifth goal of the season for Bolton, and he almost levelled the scores in stunning fashion just moments later when his 25-yard drive skimmed Jak Alnwick’s left-hand post.
The home side saved their best till the very last, though, as they found a dramatic equaliser in the 11th minute of stoppage time, as a thunderous Ibrahim Cissoko strike from outside the area rescued the latest of draws, though the strike wasn’t quite enough to keep them in the hunt for an unlikely automatic promotion spot.
Following the game, head coach Schumacher praised the performance of Republic of Ireland international Kenny, saying: “The players have shown time and time again that they don't give up. When you've got players like Johnny Kenny, who have got that moment of magic in them, you've always got a chance.”
The 22-year-old striker started the season as a regular in Celtic’s first-team, bagging six goals in 22 appearances for the club, but opted to join the third tier outfit on loan in January to play more regularly after dropping down the pecking order under manager Martin O’Neill.
Beginning the game nine points behind Cardiff City in second place, Bolton had to hope that the Welsh outfit lost their game at Reading to stand any chance of automatic promotion heading into their final two games. However, the Trotters’ draw, combined with Cardiff’s 3-1 win away at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, means Kenny’s side must navigate the EFL League One playoffs if they want to return to the second tier for the first time since the 2018/19 season.
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