Morley position audition - Four things we noticed in Bolton Wanderers' loss to Carlisle United

Bolton Wanderers suffered a 3-1 pre-season loss on the road to Carlisle United yesterday.

The Cumbrians took the lead against the Whites as Ryan Edmondson capitalised on a defensive mix-up at the back for Bolton to put the hosts in front. The League Two side doubled their advantage before half-time from a set piece after Ben Barclay headed home.

Wanderers halved the deficit after the break when Aaron Morley fired home from the penalty spot after former Carlisle midfielder Kyle Dempsey had been brought down in the box. But Carlisle restored their two goal advantage when another defensive lapse saw Kristian Dennis add their third which ensured a 3-1 victory for the hosts and Bolton's second loss for the first team in pre-season.

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Here, we analyse the loss from a Wanderers perspective and pick out four things we noticed at Brunton Park.

Morley thrives in MJ Williams role experiment

One of the main plus points from an otherwise frustrating afternoon at Brunton Park came in the form of Wanderers' goalscorer. Morley was up there with the best performers on the day for Ian Evatt's side.

Last season, Morley often had MJ Williams alongside him in the heart of the engine room, but this was not the case against the Cumbrians. Instead, Morley occupied the role Williams often does for the Whites as he sat in front of the back four.

And Morley looked impressive in the role, where it allowed him to exercise his impressive range of passing, but also include the likes of Kyle Dempsey and George Thomason in the same team. In certain games this season where the defensive capabilities of Williams are not perhaps needed as much, it