The fixtures for the
2013-14 Football League Championship season were released on 19 June 2013. However, on 18 June the
Football League announced six opening day fixtures, all involving the eight founder members who are currently playing in the Football League, as part of the league's 125th anniversary celebrations. They will finish the season at the Reebok Stadium, playing
Birmingham City on 3 May 2014.
August For the second consecutive season, Bolton visited fellow founder members
Burnley at
Turf Moor on the opening day of the season. After falling behind to a
Danny Ings shot that deflected off
David Wheater in the 26th minute, the goal eventually being given to Ings by the
Football League, Bolton equalised through
Darren Pratley in the 37th minute. No further goals were scored to give Bolton a draw in their first match of the season. Bolton's first home game of the season was against relegated
Reading. Darren Pratley got his second goal in as many league games to put Bolton in the lead, but Reading equalised through a
Nick Blackman penalty early in the second half. On 17 August Bolton travelled to the
City Ground to face
Billy Davies' Nottingham Forest. Bolton conceded after two minutes to a
Jamie Mackie goal, which was followed by two further goals in the second half for Nottingham Forest to hand Bolton their first defeat of the season, with Darren Pratley being sent off during the match. Bolton's second home game of the season came against
QPR, who had been relegated from the
Premier League the
previous season. The game was preceded by the unveiling of a statue of
Nat Lofthouse outside the
Reebok Stadium. After a goalless first half,
QPR edged ahead through
Andy Johnson in the 54th minute. This was Bolton's first home loss in 2013, ending a 12-game unbeaten home run, and left them without a win in the
new season. Bolton's winless run continued against local rivals
Blackburn Rovers at
Ewood Park, where they fell to a 4–1 loss. This left Bolton at the foot of the table going into September.
September At home to
Leeds United, Bolton conceded to an early
Luke Varney goal from a corner and failed to respond; with Bolton registering only one shot on target throughout the match. The loss, Bolton's fourth in a row, left them winless in the new season, though they moved off the foot of the table courtesy of
Millwall's poorer goal difference. Despite halting their four-game losing run with a 2–2 draw in their next game against
Derby County, Bolton slipped to the bottom of the table again as
Millwall beat
Blackpool.
Defender Alex Baptiste scored his second goal of the season to put Bolton ahead on five minutes before
Johnny Russell scored two to put Derby in front.
Chris Eagles equalised after forty minutes to earn Bolton the point. In their eighth match, Bolton faced
Brighton & Hove Albion at
Falmer Stadium. After taking the lead through a
Lee Chung-Yong cross that deflected off
David López, Bolton went in at half-time a goal to the good. However, after conceding three goals in four minutes in the second half, Bolton left
Brighton with no points. In their final game of September, Bolton faced the Glovers,
Yeovil Town. Yeovil took the lead after
'keeper Ádám Bogdán spilled an
Ed Upson shot before
Alex Baptiste headed in his third goal of the season in the 90th minute to equalise and push Bolton off the foot of the table, with
Barnsley dropping below them.
October Aiming to finally get their first win of the season, Bolton kicked off at
Blackpool's Bloomfield Road.
Striker Jermaine Beckford hit the woodwork, while
Kevin McNaughton and
Neil Danns made their debuts and
Liam Feeney earned his first start, but Bolton could not break the deadlock and the game finished 0–0, giving Bolton just their third clean sheet away from home since their win against
QPR on the opening day of the
2011–12 season and ending Blackpool's season-long run of scoring in every match. After naming an unchanged side for the game against
Birmingham City, Bolton took the lead with
Jermaine Beckford's first league goal of the season before loanee
Neil Danns scored against his former club to double the lead. Bolton were pegged back by substitute
Nikola Žigić's header which looped over
Ádám Bogdán, but held on to earn their first win of the season. Žigić's goal was later credited to
Lee Novak. After the international break, Bolton played host to
Sheffield Wednesday, the only team in the league without a win.
Jermaine Beckford followed up his goal in the previous game by opening the scoring but
Alex Baptiste put through his own net for Wednesday to equalise. In the last five minutes, Wednesday's
José Semedo was sent off for a tackle on
Jay Spearing but Bolton were unable to capitalise on the advantage as the match ended 1–1. The following match took place against
Ipswich Town, with Bolton looking to win at home for the first time. After taking the lead through a free-kick taken by
Medo Kamara,
David McGoldrick equalised for Ipswich, leaving Bolton five games unbeaten but just one place above the relegation zone.
November Bolton first game of November came against
Bournemouth at the
Goldsands Stadium. Late in the first half,
David Ngog rounded Bournemouth
'keeper Lee Camp to open the scoring. Bolton held out for the second half until
Jermaine Beckford scored his fourth goal of the season in the 90th minute to seal the win which left Bolton with a six-match unbeaten run with four draws and two wins. Bolton's next game against
Millwall extended that run with their first home win of the season as
Robert Hall,
Jermaine Beckford and
André Moritz all scored past
David Forde in a 3–1 victory. Extending their unbeaten run to eight matches and earning their third consecutive away win, Bolton edged past
Watford at
Vicarage Road in their next match. When
Manuel Almunia dropped a
Neil Danns cross,
Jermaine Beckford was there to score his fifth goal in six games and give Bolton the three points. On the final day of November, Bolton travelled to the
Riverside Stadium to face
Middlesbrough for new manager
Aitor Karanka's first home game for Boro. The match was decided by two penalties;
Grant Leadbitter scoring his after
Tim Ream fouled
Marvin Emnes in the box, before substitute
André Moritz won a penalty only for
Jermaine Beckford to miss. This 1–0 loss ended Bolton's eight-match unbeaten run.
December Back at the
Reebok Stadium against
Huddersfield Town after an international break and two away matches, Bolton failed to capitalise on their previous home win against
Millwall, falling to
Oliver Norwood's second strike in two games, beating
Andy Lonergan from 30 yards. In an attempt to bounce back from the two consecutive defeats,
Dougie Freedman made five changes from the team that fell at home to
Huddersfield Town.
André Moritz, who retained his place from the previous game, set up
Joe Mason to score on his full debut before scoring himself from long range.
Neil Danns wrapped things up in second half stoppage time to push Bolton back up to 15th place. Bolton faced
Wigan on 15 December at the
DW Stadium. As ex-Bolton manager
Owen Coyle had been sacked by Wigan in the week preceding the match, new manager
Uwe Röslerr was looking to win in his first home game. Wigan were 2–0 up at half-time. They opened the scoring when
Matt Mills was adjudged to have handled the ball in the box and
Ben Watson subsequently dispatched the resulting penalty, before on-loan
Nick Powell scored on 25 minutes. Bolton levelled 20 minutes after the break, their first goal coming four minutes after the restart,
Neil Danns scoring his third goal for the club and the second came when
Lee Chung-Yong was kicked in the penalty area, giving
André Moritz the chance to put away the spot-kick for his third. However, just four minutes later, Wigan restored their lead through
Callum McManaman to send Bolton home with no points. Bolton entered Christmas in 18th place thanks to a 1–1 draw with
Charlton Athletic at the
Reebok Stadium. They fell behind to a goal from
Yann Kermorgant before equalising with
Kevin McNaughton's first goal since 2008. Bolton won against
Barnsley on
Boxing Day, with
Neil Danns scoring in the last game of his loan spell, as he was unable to play against
Leicester City, his parent club, that weekend. Bolton's final game of the year was a thrilling affair with eight goals being shared between the two sides. Bolton finished on the wrong end of the scoreline; with Leicester winning 5–3. Leicester took the lead through former
United player
Danny Drinkwater before goals from
André Moritz and
Jermaine Beckford turned the tie in Bolton's favour. Leicester equalised when
Anthony Knockaert scored but Moritz scored his second just a few minutes later. Leicester equalised a second time when
Tim Ream deflected into his own net just before half-time. Leicester scored two more in the second half;
Lloyd Dyer and
Gary Taylor-Fletcher earning the three points for Leicester.
January In their first home game of the new year, Bolton went 2–0 down in the first twenty minutes of the game against
Middlesbrough. With nine minutes gone,
Zat Knight lost the ball on the edge of the box, allowing
Mustapha Carayol to play in. Following this, an error in communication between Knight and
Andy Lonergan resulted in an over-hit backpass which let
Curtis Main steal in to bag Middlesbrough's second.
Alex Baptiste then scored his fourth goal of the season before half-time, and
David Ngog scored in the final minute of normal time to rescue the point for Bolton. In their next game, Bolton were thoroughly beaten by
Reading at the
Madejski Stadium.
Adam Le Fondre scored a first half hat-trick within 33 minutes, before
Pavel Pogrebnyak added a fourth after
Alex Baptiste handled in the box to concede a penalty. The half-time scoreline was then nearly doubled;
Kaspars Gorkšs,
Hope Akpan and
Nick Blackman making it seven.
Sanmi Odelusi assisted
David Ngog's consolation goal, with two minutes remaining in the game. Bolton lost for the third time running in all competitions, going down 2–1 to
QPR at
Loftus Road,
Jay Spearing scoring his first of the season via a deflection in the last ten minutes.
February Bolton began the new month with another loss; to
Ipswich Town at
Portman Road.
Andy Lonergan brought down
David McGoldrick to concede a penalty which the striker also scored. Beginning a run of four home games in the next five, Bolton faced
Bournemouth at home. Bolton obtained a two-goal lead in the first half-an-hour through
Lee Chung-Yong's first of the season and
Lukas Jutkiewicz's first for the club. However, Bournemouth replied almost immediately through
Lewis Grabban before equalising from a corner;
Simon Francis scoring the goal. Facing local rivals
Burnley, also at home, Bolton fell to a second half goal from
Sam Vokes. Following the game, Burnley manager
Sean Dyche claimed that Bolton's match-day programme had partly inspired the win, saying, "I just took a few of the quotes and went up to a couple of them (Burnley players) and went 'apparently we're having a tough time'." They faced
Millwall after this, at
The Den. Despite taking the lead through
Lukas Jutkiewicz in the 15th minute, as well as hitting the post from a
Chris Eagles free-kick and missing a penalty which Jutkiewicz took, Bolton only returned with a point as
Martyn Woolford equalised from a tight angle. Bolton started with two strikers in their next game against
Watford, following
Joe Mason's return to the club on loan. His strike partner
Lukas Jutkiewicz scored his third goal in six games for the club before Mason scored on his second debut for the club, as he did against
Doncaster earlier in the season. Bolton drew the second half to earn their third home win of the season.
March Bolton made it two wins on the run in their first match of the new month, against local rivals
Blackburn, who had beaten them 4–0 earlier in the season. Bolton made amends; winning 4–0 with two goals in either half.
Medo Kamara opened the scoring with a placed header, having been set up by
Neil Danns' cross before Joe Mason doubled the lead with his second strike in as many games shortly before half-time.
Jay Spearing furthered the lead two minutes after the break; his long-range shot bouncing off the crossbar and over the line, leaving substitute
André Moritz to finish the scoring with a low, powerful shot to
Paul Robinson's right which the former
England 'keeper couldn't keep out. In news off the field,
Stuart Holden was again injured after returning to playing duties in an U-21 match against
Everton, against whom he completed only 23 minutes. On the Tuesday of the following week, it was announced that he would be out of the game again for between six and nine months following another operation on his knee. It was three wins on the bounce for Wanderers, as they comprehensively won at
Leeds United's Elland Road.
Joe Mason scored his third in as many games and his third consecutive goal on 45 minutes as Bolton went into half-time 1–0 up.
Jutkiewicz added a second; heading in a
Jay Spearing free-kick and
Zat Knight scored his first goal since 2010 just four minutes later.
Mark Davies and
André Moritz both added to the scoreline before Leeds'
Matt Smith finished the scoring with a consolation goal. Bolton could not further their recent scoring record of 11 goals in three games, but kept a third clean sheet in four games away to
Derby County; a game in which loanee
Alan Hutton made his debut for the club. Against
Brighton on 15 March,
Neil Danns and
Mark Davies made way for
Lee Chung-Yong and
Liam Trotter in midfield. A
Will Buckley brace – one goal in each half – awarded the points to Brighton. For their next game, Bolton travelled to
Somerset to face
Yeovil Town at
Huish Park. Bolton were two goals down at half-time thanks to goals from former
Manchester City player
Ishmael Miller and
Kevin Dawson. However, Bolton retained their unbeaten status against Yeovil as a long-range effort from
Lukas Jutkiewicz and a looping
Zat Knight header – his second goal in three games – which went over the head of the stranded
Marek Štěch completed the comeback for 10-man Whites, who had
Alex Baptiste sent off after conceding a penalty which Miller squandered with Yeovil 2–1 up at the time; hitting the outside of the post. Against Blackpool at the
Reebok in a midweek fixture, Bolton went into the lead early in the second half, with
David Wheater heading in a
Jay Spearing corner. Bolton held on for a clean sheet and three points, leaving them with only one loss in their last eight games. The next game at the
Reebok Stadium came that weekend; another local derby this time against
Wigan Athletic. Bolton took the lead when
Lukas Jutkiewicz got a toe on
Robert Hall's free-kick on 31 minutes and went into half-time with the lead still intact. Substitutions changed the game, however;
Uwe Rösler brought on
Manchester United loanee
Nick Powell while
Dougie Freedman brought on
Alex Baptiste – back from a one-game suspension following his red card against
Yeovil Town – in an unfamiliar holding midfield position while also shifting
Medo Kamara to the wing. Powell proceeded to score on the 88th minute, firing home from
Martyn Waghorn's cross, while Baptiste conceded a second penalty in two games, forcing
Ádám Bogdán to rescue the point for Bolton; saving
Jordi Gómez's spot-kick high to his right.
April Bolton travelled to the
John Smith's Stadium to face
Huddersfield Town in their first game of April. Both teams hit the woodwork in the first half via
Danny Ward and
Lee Chung-Yong for Huddersfield and Bolton, respectively, though the game looked as if it were headed for a scoreless draw until substitute
Joe Mason scored in the second minute of injury time to push Bolton up to 15th in the table. Remaining in
Yorkshire for another away match, Bolton faced
Doncaster Rovers at the
Keepmoat Stadium on 8 April. Going two goals to the good in the first quarter of an hour, Doncaster halved the deficit when
Wales midfielder
David Cotterill put in a free-kick off the crossbar. No more goals were scored, leaving Bolton with two wins on the bounce and a six-match unbeaten away run. Bolton continued their winning streak against
Barnsley;
Jermaine Beckford rounding the 'keeper after getting on the end of a
Matt Mills long ball on the stroke of half-time. Bolton couldn't continue their winning run in
London; instead playing their part in a stalemate against
Charlton Athletic at
the Valley. It did, however, continue Bolton's seven game unbeaten away streak. On 22 April,
Leicester City won the
Football League Championship at the
Reebok Stadium; winning 1–0 – a
Lloyd Dyer strike giving them the result they needed. The score also ended Bolton's unbeaten run as they remained in 14th place. Away at
Hillsborough on 26 April, Bolton raced into a three-goal lead courtesy of goals from
Neil Danns,
Lee Chung-Yong and
Liam Trotter's first for the club.
Joe Mattock reduced the deficit for the home side but no further goals were scored to give Bolton their longest unbeaten away run since 2001; going eight games unbeaten.
May Bolton's final game of the season was also their last at the
Reebok Stadium before it was to be renamed as the
Macron Stadium from next season. Their opponents were
Birmingham City, who required a point from the game to stay in the
Championship as
Doncaster Rovers would lose to champions
Leicester City. Goalless at half-time, Bolton went 2–0 up with
Lee Chung-Yong and
Lukas Jutkiewicz.
Nikola Žigić halved the deficit before
Paul Caddis rescued the point three minutes into injury time to keep Birmingham up.
League table Results by round Results summary ==FA Cup==