THERE seemed to be a subdued atmosphere in the Harvester before we faced a first round FA Cup match for the first time in many a year.

Grimsby Town brought back memories of forever starting the season away at Blundell Park and of superb fish and chips in Cleethorpes.

Due to the injuries and suspension, we played a guessing game as to what midfield Phil Parkinson would go for.

We need not have worried as he brought in Chris Taylor and Alex Parry to fill the gaps, the latter starting a league match for the first time.

What a debut for the young lad as he sprayed the passes around.

I’ve not seen the stats but his accuracy must be up there with the best.

We were treated to a rare Liam Trotter headed goal from a corner, something he has kept hidden since he has been at Bolton.

It proved to be the winner in a closely-fought match in which we had the better of the first half and Grimsby Town the second half.

But on the couple of occasions the Mariners got decent shots on target, Mark Howard was more than up to the challenge.

Referee Trevor Kettle actually got through a Wanderers match for once without brandishing a red card, although he made a big effort with the yellow cards.

Keshi Anderson made sure Jamie Proctor was well off the pitch before he came on as substitute.

Although the Grimsby fans did their bit to raise the atmosphere, the response from the Bolton fans was disappointing, like being in a morgue.

It is too early to start dreaming of a giant-killing, money-spinning run to Wembley, but we’re on our way.

The best thing to take out of this match is that we are building up a squad to cover the inevitable injuries and suspensions.

The performance of Parry bodes well for his and our futures.

The main concern is the number of injuries we are getting at Bolton.

No sooner does a player make a comeback than another one or two go down with injuries.

This has gone on for ages and makes you wonder if there is a curse that needs exorcising at the Macron.

It’s not going to be easy but the Wanderers are starting to come up the hill.