Another Saturday, another game, another draw. The match was better than the previous one but sharing the points with a team that had one victory from the previous nineteen games was hardly a result to savour or to raise hopes of something better next season. Still, there was some excitement, one or two decent performances, and we did score a good goal.

There was good news before the game. Mark Davies was selected in place of Cohen and, as Andy O’Brien was ill, Danny Shittu was in the starting eleven, which I, at least, saw as an improvement; surprisingly after last week’s display, an extra thousand Bolton fans turned up; we were in spanking new kit, and once again the visitors, though threatened by relegation, brought a full compliment of 5,000 fans. The kick off saw both sets of supporters in good voice.

For a change we began with a 4-4-2 line up and Kevin Davies joined Elmander up front. Mark Davies drew the short straw and was consigned to the wide left of midfield, with the left footed Taylor on the right. Phil Brown’s local knowledge was presumably behind the decision to force Wanderers to play towards the North Stand. It amazes me that more teams, given the chance, don’t frustrate our preference for doing this in the second half.

We nearly had an explosive start when Taylor went near from thirty yards. It took us ninety three minutes to get so close last week and this underpinned any pre match optimism. The early exchanges did likewise. Unlike in the Sunderland game, it was possible to see some pattern in our play and, at least, some passes found their target. However, play was interrupted for several minutes when the unfortunate Shittu received a blow to the head. He eventually resumed with his crown covered by a bandage, reviving memories of Terry Butcher in the World Cup qualifier against Sweden. Hopefully Shittu would be inspired to a similar performance as that of the England man.

Taylor seemed the most likely Bolton player to score and he had two further efforts but, our goal when it came was from the most unlikely of sources, at least on the evidence of last week. Muamba brought the ball out of defence in fine style and launched Elmander on a gallop down the right. The striker outpaced his marker and crossed to Muamba, who had done magnificently to keep pace in support. The youngster passed to Taylor whose poor shot was cleared but only as far as Steinsson, and he hit a precise, low drive in by the far post. It was a cracker, and pleasing that the previous week’s duck eggs, Muamba and Elmander, were so heavily involved.

Hull to their credit didn’t fold, and they responded immediately. They had already looked dangerous down our left, where Samuel was having an unhappy afternoon, perhaps because Mark Davies wasn’t providing adequate cover. It was from this flank that a cross found Manucho unmarked in front of goal; thankfully he emulated last week’s profligate, Kieran Richardson, and sent the ball over the bar. The game continued to move (I almost got carried away and typed flow) from end to end, and during this period Elmander had a decent attempt on goal. In the dying seconds of an extended half Samuel forced a corner from which Gary Cahill was once again foiled by a good save. He met the cross with an excellent header but it was cleared off the line by a defender.

The half time interval was enlivened by a band of drummers. I have a fairly eclectic taste in music but a dozen drummers thumping away together, falls outside my range.

Our half time lead always looked fragile and on the resumption it wasn’t long before our castle fell in a dramatic sequence of events. Once again Muamba began a break down the right and raced forward to receive the cross, this time from Steinsson, but rather than sweeping it into the net, he got the ball entangled between his feet and it ballooned to the relieved goalkeeper. As if this wasn’t bad enough, play switched rapidly to other end where Shittu, though under some pressure, appeared to have plenty of time to clear. Instead the big defender made a complete hash of it and allowed Fagan to poke the ball past Jaaskelainen. Within a minute, Hull’s survival hopes were revived and the inadequacies of two of our players were made manifest.

Gary Megson appears to have solved one problem. He has complained that in recent games we have waited until the second half to play our best football. Not in this game. Relegation threatened Hull outplayed us in the last half hour and might have scored several times. The main reason they didn’t was Jussi. One save from a Cousin’s header was unbelievable, especially as he managed to flick away the rebound before Hull could pounce. Cahill also saved a couple of nasty situations with defensive headers over his own bar. Barnby did hit the post when his mishit shot deceived Jaaskelainen, whilst at the other end the wholehearted Shittu almost made amends for his error with a header that was cleared off the line. Mego eventually replaced Muamba and Taylor with Basham and Riga but it was too late to make much difference. Chris Basham did have one good run but, like the man he had replaced, he got the ball mixed between his feet when he was within sight of goal.

So the Reebok season drifted to a close. The players made the ritual end of term circuit of the ground, most of them with their offspring, but without their manager. I’m not sure what to read into Mego’s reluctance to join his men. Maybe it was a concern that he might not be well received; maybe it was an antipathy towards the supporters. Who knows? But for me, it illustrated that he isn’t the right man for the job.

As for his players, the opposing manager picked out Jaaskelainen and Kevin Davies as our outstanding players. As a former Wanderers man he knows their worth to the team and over the season they have undoubtedly been two of our successes. In this game, however, whilst Jussi’s excellence kept us in the game, he did make one howler that might have lost it for us and, though he was always a threat, I thought the Hull defenders contained Super Kev pretty well.

Another undoubted success this season has been Gary Cahill and he had another fine game. In addition to his defensive prowess he has come near to scoring in the last three matches with headers from corners. I suspect he will deservedly clear up the player of the year awards. Steinsson also had another good game. His forward movement has always been good and his defensive game has improved; he must be regarded as a Megson success in the transfer market. McCann had one of his better games. He didn’t do anything spectacular but he was prominent in countering threats in midfield and didn’t give the ball away. Mark Davies will always delight me with his ability to pass the ball even when under pressure but he was marginalised by the decision to play him in a wide position. Apart from wasting the youngster’s talent it meant that, with Taylor on the other flank, we were reliant on the full backs for penetration down the wings. Steinsson fulfilled this role well, Samuel less so. The left back had his hands more than full defensively and when he moves forward he seems unaware of those around him and usually finds himself in a blind alley.

If my reference to Taylor appears critical it wasn’t meant to be so. He had several decent shots and didn’t have a bad game all round. But he is not a conventional wide player with pace and dribbling ability to take him round the full back. He compensates for this with other attributes but if there is a similar situation on the other wing it can lead to attacking sterility. A creative and/or explosive presence in the centre of midfield might compensate, but we don’t have that either, particularly if Mark Davies is pushed wide.

Another long standing problem that remains unresolved is a partner for Cahill at the centre of defence. Everyone loves a trier and there was much to admire in Danny Shittu’s performance. He threw himself at high balls with an amazing disregard for the injury to his head and in this respect he is what we need. However his culpability in respect of Hull’s goal illustrated his limitations on the ground and I’m afraid that he isn’t the answer to the problem anymore than Andy O’brien is. If Puygrenier is behind these two in the pecking order we must assume he isn’t either.

That leaves Elmander and Muamba who both began the campaign with such promise. Both had better games than last week; both have been severe disappointments over the season. I still think Elmander has talent but I don’t think he will realise at Bolton Wanderers, or indeed in the Premier League. He is not afraid to work, or put himself about, but he seems to lack the necessary strength and stamina. At the end of the season, he looks half the player that he did at the beginning. As for Muamba he is the latest whipping boy, the successor to Nicky Hunt and Kevin Nolan. There is a section of the crowd that will never see any merit him. He did some good things in this game, including playing a key role in our goal, but he received no praise; he did some crass things, for which he was loudly derided. He covered acres of ground but I must admit that he appears to lack fundamental passing and control skills and it’s hard to understand why he has consistently been preferred to Basham.

One thing that none of our players are guilty of is a lack of effort and the manager, rightly, makes much of this. He calls it being honest, or putting a shift in, but I assume that’s what he means. He has also spoke recently of the limitations and constraints under which he works, and again I’m sure he speaks the truth. He doesn’t rant and rave in his post match analyses and he doesn’t go on the nauseating ego trips enjoyed by many of his peers. But, as I suggested last week, he ain’t no Mr Tambourine Man either. There won’t be any trips on Mego’s Magic Sailing Ship.

He has confounded the pundits by retaining our place in the Premier League but he has much to do in the summer if we are not to endure another season of tedious performances and a position among the strugglers. A centre back and wide right midfield player of Premier League quality are necessities, followed by a defensive midfield player in the Warhurst/Hierro/Campo mould. If we get all those, there probably won’t be any money left for a left back or someone who can score goals regularly but it would be nice to see them as well. I assume that the loanees, Puygrenier, Smolarek and Makukula will shake the Reebok dust from their boots with some relief after being largely ignored.

That’s it for me for the season. When we play our final game against Manchester City next week I hope to be climbing a Scottish mountain. It will be good to have a match day that I enjoy. Have a good summer (or winter if you are at the other end of the world).