The former Luton Town man produced a superb equalizer to help ten-man Bolton salvage a point from an embarrassing afternoon at Sixfields.
George Thomason saw red midway through the first half and referee Jeremy Simpson then showed manager Ian Evatt another card at half-time – which, unless successfully appealed, could mean both they will be absent for Tuesday night’s match against Wycombe.
For Mendes Gomes, his first competitive goal for the club since his summer move from Kenilworth Road was the culmination of a fractured start that included injury time outs, more than a month spent at the Africa Cup of Nations with Guinea-Bissau and the absence of a family member during the game.
But he now hopes he has done enough to prove he is worthy of a starting place in League One, with a double header at home on the horizon.
Mendes Gomes hopes his crucial goal against Northampton Town can revive his Wanderers career and count for a winning campaign.
The former Luton Town player scored an excellent header to help ten-man Bolton salvage a point after a difficult afternoon at Sixfields.
George Thomason saw red midway through the first half and referee Jeremy Simpson then showed manager Ian Evatt another card at half-time – which, unless a successful call was made, could mean both are out for Tuesday night’s game against Wycombe..
Perspective: The epigenetic keys to unlocking the full potential of immunotherapyGenomeWebFor Mendes Gomes, his first league goal for the club since leaving Kenilworth Road in the summer was the culmination of a difficult start which included an injury layoff, more than a month in the African Cup of Nations with Guinea-Bissau and a relative lack of playing time.
But he hopes he has now done enough to show he is worthy of a starting place in League One with a home double-header looming.
0:00 / 0:00“As a player you want to play against, it was a little difficult,” he said. “Things have happened – injuries, leaving the national team, but of course you always want to be on the pitch and, above all, playing in front of your own fans.”“It’s always special in our stadium and if I get the chance I will do my best.
“I believe there is a lot more to come from me and I have been patient. But I’m lucky to be here, I’m happy to be here and I want to help the team in any way I can.Mendes Gomes admits it was a shock to come on as a substitute at the start of the second half, looking into the technical area and seeing Evatt not in the dugout.
“I’m not entirely sure what happened in the tunnel, but we didn’t expect it,” he said. “It’s just a game and there are a lot of emotions.
”Thomason faces a three-game suspension if his suspension continues, in a season where his discipline has been seriously tested.
However, Mendes Gomes felt his teammate was treated harshly when he was sent off for a challenge on Northampton full-back Aaron McGowan.
“George was disappointed, especially because it wasn’t a foul,” he said. “We watched from the bench, we saw everything, we even saw it again, but I don’t think it was a red card.
“The decision was made, the game went against us, but we managed to show a lot of character when we came back.”
Wanderers fought back to salvage a point and almost snatched all three points when Mendes Gomes, Aaron Collins and Eoin Toal were all involved in a frantic race for goal at the end.
The Whites have never been at their best and remain third, but are now a point behind second-placed Derby County with two games remaining and seven behind Portsmouth, who have three games remaining.
Mendes Gomes was delighted with his performance in front of nearly 1,500 supporters who accompanied him.“It was amazing, our fans are first class,” he said.
“Their support outside has been incredible.
Thank you for being here. “The message when we arrived was to be ourselves, to be courageous and to be at the forefront. I think we did well and it was nice to send the fans home with smiles on their faces.
“We lost a man away and it was difficult. I was really happy to score a goal and help us get a point. It was really important to make a difference.
“Fair play to Northampton, they came at us. At first we weren’t quite ourselves, but it shows a lot of character that needs to be brought back.
