Bolton Wanderers will be loving Barnsley developments: View | OneFootball

As we edge closer and closer to the start of the League One play-offs, Bolton Wanderers must be looking at the latest ongoings at Oakwell with glee.

The Trotters will be facing Barnsley in the first-leg of the third tier semi-final on Friday night, with the Tykes in turmoil after sacking boss Neill Collins just days before the end of the regular season.

The mood had turned sour in Yorkshire despite the success of the former Sheffield United man in the dugout, with the 40-year-old failing to win over parts of the fanbase which ultimately led to the club’s hierarchy giving him the boot.

Last season’s beaten play-off finalists seemed to already have a deal in place to bring Austrian coach Dominik Thalhammer to the club ready for the end-of-season showcase, but work permit issues are said to have put a halt to that deal being completed.

Bolton Wanderers will be relishing Barnsley League One play-off tie amid the chaos

The news of Thalhammer’s problems will be music to the ears of Bolton fans, with Martin Devaney set to continue in his role as caretaker boss over the course of the two legs against the Trotters.

The former Cheltenham Town midfielder oversaw the final match of the season against Northampton Town which ended in a 1-1 draw, and extends an unwanted record he currently has during his time at Oakwell.

The 43-year-old has overseen four matches as caretaker boss over the last few years as bosses have come and gone and has failed to win any of them, with the draw with the Cobblers earning him his first point in charge of first team proceedings.

That record will be put to the test once again when they face Wanderers over two legs, as they face a side that has scored the second-most goals in the division, and have revenge on their minds from the previous campaign.

The two sides met at the same point of the season last year, with the Tykes edging a fiercely-contested encounter 2-1 on aggregate, before going on to lose to Sheffield Wednesday in the final.

Nicky Cadden’s arrowed effort was cancelled out by Dion Charles’ swift equaliser in the first leg, before Liam Kitching’s header settled matters in the reverse tie, leaving the Trotters’ promotion dreams in tatters for another season.

Ian Evatt has overseen plenty of progress during his four seasons in charge of Bolton, as he continued his record of constantly improving his side’s finishing position in the league, with finishes of ninth, fifth and third following promotion from League Two during his first year at the helm.

Having missed out to Portsmouth and Derby County in the race for the automatic promotion places, Evatt [pictured] will be making sure that there isn’t a repeat of last year’s failure at the first hurdle in the play-offs, and his side look well set to go all the way this season.

The two sides have proved hard to separate over the course of the regular season, with both of their league meetings ending in draws, with February’s clash ending with a goal apiece, before Randell Williams' late equaliser earned the visitors a 2-2 draw at Oakwell a month later.

Barnsley's worrying end-of-season form

The pair are in much different positions now to what they were then though, with Bolton tasting defeat just once in their last 12 matches to end the season, while Barnsley have won just one of their last nine League One fixtures.

As everybody knows, a lot can go out the window once the regular season comes to an end and the play-offs get underway, but for a team that has picked up just two points in their last six matches to suddenly rediscover their form will take some doing, especially considering the surrounding issues at the club of late.

The Tykes always seem to find a way to score - having only failed to do so in four league matches this season - but keeping the opposition out at the other end is the issue, with 64 goals conceded over the course of the campaign.

With Bolton hoping to pile the misery on in front of the onlooking Barnsley fans in the first leg, they will be looking to make the most of their high-pressing style and give the hosts limited time to get a foothold in the game.

Devaney will have to work wonders to turn the mood around at the club in the past few days, and there can’t have been many clubs heading into a play-off campaign in such a bad manner.

All this plays into Bolton’s hands, and they will be hoping a professional performance in the first leg sets them up to finish the deal in front of their own fans the following week.

You never know with the EFL play-offs, though, and that’s what makes it such unmissable viewing.