As we enter the business end of the EFL season, some teams are at full tilt with plenty of motivation, while others have secured their fate and don’t need to overexert themselves in the final weeks. Bolton fit into the latter of those two camps, and while they’ll want to go into the play-offs in good form, they sit 11 points off the automatic promotion spots and are safely inside the top six with a six-point cushion, so they can begin planning for the post-season showdown. They’ve not won in any of their last three games, all of which came against sides in the bottom 10 and having been beaten by basement boys Port Vale last time out, they don’t make this trip with confidence.
By contrast, Plymouth are on the charge and with just two points separating them and the top six, they have it all to play for. Argyle are also in fine form, winning seven of their last nine league games, while they’ve been excellent on their own patch with four consecutive victories, three of which came against sides above them in the league standings. Tom Cleverley has repaid the faith shown in him by the board, and with many sides between them and the play-offs stuttering, a win here could see Plymouth gate-crashing the top six with a favourable fixture list to come.
