Nolan Ready For Plovdiv

Last updated : 29 September 2005 By Matt Bottom
Bolton Wanderers midfielder Kevin Nolan says he won't be intimidated by Lokomotiv Plovdiv fans in tonight's UEFA Cup clash.

The midfielder angered Plovdiv stars - and appeared to be spat at - after refusing to stop play in the first leg when Georgi Iliev needed treatment.

Nolan ignored calls to put the ball out and instead set up the move that led to El-Hadji Diouf's equaliser in the first-round clash, which Bolton won 2-1.

Nolan, 23, said: "I'm really looking forward to the reception I'm going to get.

"A couple of their players are saying I'm going to get harmed by God.

"But I can take a kick as long as they can take a kick. I don't mind a little boot here and there as long as they can take it back."

"The major talking point was because we scored the goal right after the Plovdiv guy went down," he said. "But he went down feigning injury. I didn't touch him, so I told Ricardo to give me the ball . . . and we went up the other end and scored.

"A lot of the Plovdiv players weren't happy but they know, more than me, that he went down and wanted to roll around and waste some time because in European games that's what you do.

"Maybe we should get used to doing things like that, but with us only being in our first season in Europe, we won't do that.

"Maybe, in the next five years, you'll see me rolling round trying to waste time at Inter Milan or somewhere like that."

"Everything was heated on the pitch and after the game we had a bit of banter," he said, "but I thought they were fantastic.

"They did really well here. A lot of people had written them off but they are a good side and it's not going to be easy over there.

"We've got a tough job but, hopefully, we won't do anything silly, just get the job done and get back here and look forward to facing Wigan on Sunday."