Jolt for Bolton

Bolton Wanderers 1 Bergsson 70 Ipswich Town 2 Scowcroft 39, 88 Attendance: 13,314

Bolton's leadership of the Nationwide league is becoming more and more a matter of defying gravity. For the seventh First Division game on the trot they failed to win - losing their unbeaten home record in the process - and they remain on top by default.

It was a second goal from Ipswich's impressive 21-year-old striker James Scowcroft that made this latest result more damaging than Bolton's now customary draw. A clearance from Jason Cundy caught the home defence cold two minutes from time and Scowcroft lobbed the advancing Keith Branagan.

The goal came as Bolton pressed for a winner to add to their scrambled equaliser. On the balance of play, they might have grabbed one, but without a number of their more influential players - injured and on international duty - they never looked like recapturing their commanding early season form.

With John McGinlay looking lost without his regular partner Nathan Blake, Bolton's only real chance came via a shot from the edge of the penalty area by Per Frandsen that flashed wide.

Against that, Ipswich's young striking combination of Scowcroft and Richard Naylor romped around like a pair of exuberant Dalmatians, always looking liable to take a bite out of the Bolton defence.

They did so when the 19-year-old Naylor leapt high and nodded the ball on for Gus Uhlenbeek, who was able to make his way unimpeded into the Wanderers area before rolling it across for Scowcroft to apply a simple finish.

Bolton, also badly missing the midfield craft of Alan Thompson, battled away until another of Ipswich's youngsters, the goalkeeper Richard Wright, failed to catch Scott Sellars' corner. In the ensuing melee, the ball cannoned off Gudni Bergsson and into the net.

"We haven't played well and we nearly got something out of the game," said Colin Todd, the Bolton manager. "I would have been quite happy for the score to stay at 1-0."

George Burley, the Ipswich manager, was understandably delighted with his team's performance. "Bolton are the best team in the league so to come up here and get three points was an excellent result," said Burley, who had some comfort for Bolton's frustrated fans. "I still think they'll win the league. If I was betting, I would still put my money on them."