This was the sort of finish that makes a Championship away day feel either glorious or unbearable depending on which bench you are on. Bristol City were staring at defeat with six minutes of normal time remaining, yet they found a way to turn the game on its head and leave the Toughsheet Community Stadium with a 3-2 win.
And the man who made the difference was Scott Twine. Three minutes into added time, he delivered the winner that ended Bristol City’s run of four games without a win and gave them a first victory in five matches. For Bolton Wanderers, it was a brutal ending to a contest they had dragged back in their favour, only to watch it slip away at the last possible moment.
A game that kept swinging
Bristol City had made the early breakthrough through Dom Ballard in the 13th minute, which should have given them a platform. Instead, Bolton responded and forced the visitors to keep fighting for control of the match. Josh Sheehan and Sam Dalby then put the Trotters 2-1 ahead, and by the time the game reached the final stages, Bristol City were still trailing with six minutes of normal time left.
That is where the value of belief showed up. Sam Bell came on for Lorent Tolaj in the 78th minute, and Bristol City kept pushing until the match finally cracked. When Twine scored in added time, it was not just a late goal. It was the sort of intervention that rescues a result and changes the mood around a team in an instant.
Why this one matters
The context gives the win even more bite. Bristol City had been chasing a hat-trick of away wins in the north west after victories at Preston and Burnley, so this was about more than simply avoiding another disappointing afternoon. They had been looking to make a statement in a difficult away run, and Twine’s late strike ensured that the story ended with celebration rather than frustration.
For Bolton, this was another painful chapter in a run that has now stretched to three matches without victory, coming after that 5-1 loss to Middlesbrough. There is no way to dress that up. When a team allows a match to slip away after leading 2-1, especially so late, it is a result that lingers.
In the end, Bristol City found the one decisive moment that mattered most. Scott Twine supplied it, and in a game full of momentum swings, he left with the final word.
