Adam Federici - 7
Only had one save to make, but what a save it was. 7/10 may seem a generous mark on that basis, but nonetheless it could have been the difference between one point and none. Still to find any evidence at all that Federici won't be the first name on the team-sheet every week.
Stephen Kelly - 6
In a word, solid. At first glance, he doesn't look like a massive improvement on Gunter, but his experience and composure have quietly crept into our defending in recent weeks and were on show yesterday. Not one to make lung-busting runs down the right wing, but looked after his patch well enough.
Michael Hector - 6
Was confident in defence and composed on the ball, bar a few shaky moments towards the end. Having a partner who is also accustomed to keeping the ball on the deck seems to help, and it was clear that's how he likes to play. Perhaps should have done better with some chances from set pieces in the second half, but went close nonetheless.
Jake Cooper - 7 (My Man of the Match)
Following on from his man of the match performance against Norwich, Jake Cooper takes the gong for the second week in a row. Could have scored in the first half were it not for Garath McCleary getting in the way of his shot, but looked solid at the back throughout. The calmness he shows in tricky situations isn't one that you'd expect to see in a 19-year old, and suggests that he could go on to become a very good centre half.
Chris Gunter - 6
Similar to Kelly in that he was solid but didn't excel. Doesn't get the chance to attack when playing on his weaker side.
Oliver Norwood - 6
Kept hold of the ball pretty well in his role just in front of the back four. Limited in effectiveness from open play, but some cleverly taken set pieces in the second half where the ball was played short to him from a corner, before he delivered a cross, threatened to undo Bolton. Not one of his more influential games, but the fact that he can still play well in dull games goes to show why he's deserving of the highly coveted Tilehurst End Player of the Month Award for November.
Garath McCleary - 5
There's a difference between being at full match fitness and being at full match speed. Garath McCleary yesterday looked like he was fully fit, but hasn't had a long enough run of games to get into form. Didn't get into the game enough, couldn't create much for Glenn Murray to feed off, and was subbed for Nick Blackman on 78 minutes.
Danny Williams - 5
See above - Williams is another who has come back to fitness after a long spell out, and is taking time to get back into the form we now he can put on. It's hard to tell what his best role in the midfield is - box-to-box, holding midfielder or playing further forward. Seemed to be confused between the three against Bolton, and wasn't influential enough throughout the game. Subbed off for Jake Taylor on 85 minutes.
Jordan Obita - 6
Flexibility is one of Obita's biggest strengths, but it's also one of his major weaknesses. We're accustomed to him playing at left back, but he's played in midfield in recent weeks. Against Bolton, he seemed to play all across the midfield throughout the match. Starting in the middle, as the game went on he was bizarrely deployed out on the right wing; correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think he's played there at all, and he's not effective there. Nonetheless, he kept the ball pretty well, and was one of Reading's main threats with his deliveries from set pieces.
Hal Robson-Kanu - 5
I've seen far worse performances from far better players, so (having not heard it on the day), I was surprised to hear that he was booed when taken off. Didn't create enough and was pretty anonymous. A clever bit of play down the left wing in the first half where he beat two players before whipping in a tantalising cross is the Robson-Kanu we all know is out there somewhere, but just haven't seen often enough.
Glenn Murray - 5
A harsh mark perhaps, but I can't give him any more than that based on what I saw. As I mentioned in my match report, Murray had scraps to feed off against Bolton. He did quite well with the frequent long balls down the pitch from the back, but simply did not have anything like enough support. Simon Cox has been one of our best players this season, and some of his link-up play with Glenn Murray earlier in the season was delightful. Dropping him against Norwich proved to be justified, but keeping him out of the side made no sense: Murray needs supply and support if he's to play like the striker we know he is.
Subs
Simon Cox - 5
Ineffective, didn't make much of an impact. A clever turn and run at the end of the game that came to nothing was his biggest contribution. Needs to start home games - the match was drab and lifeless by the time he came on in the 68th minute.
Nick Blackman - 5
22 minutes wasn't enough for Simon Cox, and 12 wasn't enough for Nick Blackman. Came on for McCleary and played on the right, although I can barely remember him doing anything.
Jake Taylor - N/A
Subbed on for Williams in the 85th minute so not long enough to give a mark.