Albion Defeats Bologna 1-0: Hinshelwood's Goal Secures Victory

Albion went into their final pre-season outing without two of their most dangerous wingers. They walked away with another win – and a new way of hurting teams out wide.

Jack Hinshelwood’s strike on 59 minutes sealed a 1-0 victory over Bologna at the Amex, wrapping up pre-season with a clean sweep of friendly wins and, more importantly, a clearer attacking blueprint.

Flat first half, sharp second

For 45 minutes, Albion laboured. They kept the ball, shuffled it from side to side, but rarely pierced Bologna’s shape. The movement was predictable, the tempo too safe. Lukasz Skorupski in the Bologna goal dealt comfortably with the two early efforts that did arrive, both from Maxim De Cuyper cutting in off the left.

There were flashes. De Cuyper linked neatly with Ferdi Kadioglu on that flank, once slipping him into a threatening pocket. Olivier Boscagli picked out Hinshelwood with a clever pass which led to a well-struck volley, again saved. But for all the possession, Albion lacked a genuine cutting edge.

Then the restart changed everything.

Rutter roams, Albion find the flanks

The second half opened with a different rhythm. Georginio Rutter, operating as a highly mobile No.9 – at times almost a classic false nine, at others a drifting wide forward – began to drag Bologna’s back line into uncomfortable places.

The key moment came down the left. Rutter worked tirelessly on the touchline to keep the ball alive, then drove infield and drew a foul as he surged across the edge of the area. As he went down, he still managed to squeeze a low ball across the face of goal.

Diego Gomez stepped over it. No one in the middle could reach it. For a split-second the chance looked gone.

Then Mats Wieffer arrived.

Steaming onto the loose ball at the edge of the box, Wieffer stroked a low effort towards goal – more a guided pass than a thunderous shot – and Hinshelwood, alive to the moment and glancing across for the offside flag, diverted it home from close range.

One incisive move. One smart run. The difference between a tepid first half and a far brighter second.

Wide threat without star wingers

That goal signalled a shift. Albion suddenly started to get in behind the Bologna full-backs, with Kadioglu and Gomez repeatedly finding space on either side.

Wieffer again picked the lock with a clever through ball to send Gomez racing into the box for a cut-back. Hinshelwood, chasing a second, arrived on the scene once more but this time blazed over.

Gomez stayed busy. When he worked space for Kadioglu, the full-back-turned-winger rattled the post with a crisp effort, underlining just how much more dangerous Albion looked attacking those channels.

All of this came with Yakuba Minteh joining Kaoru Mitoma on the injury list, putting real scrutiny on how Albion would replace their usual wing menace. The answer, on this evidence, involved repurposed full-backs, inventive movement from Rutter, and De Cuyper offering a different, more measured threat from the left.

New faces, same defensive steel

Changes flowed as the half wore on. Ibrahim Osman and Zadok Yohanna, both more traditional wide options, came on and immediately injected direct running and urgency. Each showed glimpses that they can stretch games in a way Albion had been missing earlier on.

At the other end, Bart Verbruggen did what he has made look routine: one sharp stop in each half from Nicolo Carbiaghi, preserving yet another clean sheet. In front of him, Luka Vuskovic and Boscagli again looked a composed pairing in the first period, dealing with what Bologna could muster.

Albion’s back line looks settled. The intrigue lies further forward.

A different kind of left-side weapon

This final friendly did not just confirm fitness or deliver another win; it hinted at a tactical adjustment. With out-and-out wingers sidelined, De Cuyper appears set to offer something more subtle from the left – part full-back, part playmaker, part auxiliary wide midfielder.

He linked well with Kadioglu, arrived in shooting positions, and helped Albion turn a previously static shape into one that finally stretched Bologna. With Tromso up next and the competitive action looming, the question is no longer whether Albion can cope without their star wide men.

It’s how far this new, reshaped left flank can take them once the real games begin.