Bolton boss Owen Coyle felt the decision to leave out Sam Ricketts at West Bromwich Albion was one of the toughest of his career. Ricketts had excelled covering in the centre of defence while England international Gary Cahill was serving a three-match suspension for his red card at Arsenal.
But Coyle opted to bring Cahill straight back into the side following his ban and he vindicated the manager's decision by producing a man-of-the-match display as Bolton claimed a third straight Premier League draw.
"I've made some big decisions in my football career but that was one of the toughest," Coyle told the Bolton Evening News.
"Gary Cahill is a quality player but Sam Ricketts has been outstanding. I sat and tried to explain to Sam and he should be disappointed because I had more than 11 players who deserved to start. That's the job of being a manager.
"Sam's got a big, big part to play at this football club, but Gary Cahill is a top centre half."
