Sheffield Wednesday and Blackburn Rovers will share Bolton Wanderers envy right now | OneFootball

Ibrahim Cissoko and Amario Cozier-Duberry could win the Trotters promotion to the Championship

Bolton Wanderers are heading into their League One play-off semi-final second-leg with a 1-0 advantage over Bradford City.

You might be thinking where Sheffield Wednesday and Blackburn Rovers come into this, but it’s clear when you look at how that goal on Saturday night was scored.

Amario Cozier-Duberry was the one who found the back of the net, but his impressive curled effort was first supplied by an Ibrahim Cissoko cross - two players Wednesday and Rovers fans will be very familiar with after last season.

Yet the two aforementioned Championship sides failed to get the best out of the thriving third tier wingers, and may be looking at the Trotters with some envy as to how they've managed to get them playing more productively.

Why Ibrahim Cissoko's Bolton Wanderers form will puzzle Sheffield Wednesday

Upon joining Sheffield Wednesday in February last year, which came after the Dutchman’s first loan spell with Plymouth Argyle ended early, Cissoko promised to excite Owls fans.

He told the club's website, "I hope this will be exciting for the fans. The way they play attacking football, the style of the coach, this will suit my game. I play down the left and also the right, I like to take my man on, create assists and score goals.

Adding, "I have played in three leagues now and I really like the Championship so I look forward to the next weeks and months."

It's worth considering that Toulose reportedly paid €3m for the left-sided player in 2023, yet he didn't look close to that at Wednesday.

Cissoko only made five substitute appearances for the Owls and did not register a goal or assist, which makes the contrast with his current Bolton form even more striking, where he has six goals and one assist across all competitions.

When then-manager Danny Rohl was asked about the winger’s exclusion from matchday squads towards the end of last season, tactics were the reason cited.

So, on the face of it, that suggests the South Yorkshire club saw a player who was hard to fit in rather than one who lacked talent, but the Championship is less forgiving than League One, and you can't really afford to experiment too much.

Blackburn Rovers saw flashes of brilliance from Amario Cozier-Duberry

Blackburn Rovers had a similar experience with Amario Cozier-Duberry, even though he showed obvious quality at the start.

John Eustace, who, of course, left Rovers in February last year, hailed the Brighton prospect as “virtually unplayable” after his first senior goal against Luton Town.

"He [Cozier-Duberry] was outstanding - he's been training very well and was close to starting four or five weeks ago before he got injured," Eustace told BBC Radio Lancashire in December 2024.

"The most pleasing thing for me is, while he's an exciting player with the ball, he really works hard without the ball as well…"

However, the former Arsenal youngster’s 24/25 Championship campaign still ended with only six starts from 22 appearances.

Yes, the mid-season change from Eustace to Valérien Ismaël wouldn’t have helped, but the consistency was not yet there. That is why Bolton’s environment has probably felt more forgiving and been more productive for both players.

In a division where wide players are often given more room to isolate full-backs, Cissoko and Cozier-Duberry have been able to build up some much-needed confidence.

Yes, Cozier-Duberry may have had the better headline numbers for goal involvements, with ten goals and ten assists, but the bigger point is that Cissoko has looked sharper this season as well.

For Sheffield Wednesday and Blackburn Rovers, that is surely the painful part - as the 'tools' were there, but Bolton have been the club to unlock them at the same time.