'Defended for our lives' - The Bolton Wanderers dressing room view of Ipswich Town draw

Bolton Wanderers defender George Johnston felt the opening day draw at Ipswich Town was a solid start to the new season for Ian Evatt's men.

Wanderers made the long trip to Portman Road to face the Tractor Boys and hit the front inside half-an-hour, when Aaron Morley converted from the penalty spot after Conor Bradley was fouled in the box. Bolton were unable to get in at the break ahead though, with Lee Evans firing home a Conor Chaplin corner.

The visitors then fought hard in the closing stages to see the point over the line and get off the mark in the 2022/23 campaign. Johnston was pleased with that side of Bolton's game, but knows where things must improve in the coming weeks, as Bolton naturally get fitter and sharper.

READ MORE : Four ups and one down from Bolton's draw vs Ipswich

Post-match, Johnston said: "It's a good point. There are a lot of positives to take but also stuff we can work on. Being the first game away from home, in front of a good crowd, it's always going to be difficult but I think we defended really well.

"In possession (we) could improve massively but we know what we need to work on now going into next week. We thought we were on top in the first 30 minutes. We knew they were going to start fast and it was just how we countered that really. I think getting a penalty and Aaron putting it away well, we just built on confidence from that - until their goal.

"It was conceded from a set piece, which is disappointing and it rocked us a bit. But we got back in at half-time and then we came together and came back out. A good point at the end of the day. There's some very tired legs in the changing room but we would run through brick walls for each other in this team. Everyone has got each other's back.