HENRIK Pedersen has reassured Wanderers fans they will be watching UEFA Cup football next season.
The versatile Dane is convinced Wanderers will finish in the top six, despite defeat in the last two games. A cloud of negativity has descended on the Reebok after almost certainly blowing their Champions League chances with setbacks at Spurs and at home to Blackburn in the Premiership which was preceded by a demoralising FA Cup exit at the hands of Arsenal.
But Pedersen insists the players will turn their current fortunes around to ensure they will be looking back on a season to celebrate after the final game.
"It is still in our own hands to finish fifth," said Pedersen, who replaced Ricardo Gardner at left-back against Blackburn on Sunday. "And, if we do, it will be a great achievement for a squad like ours.
"We knew from the beginning of the season that we had the squad to be in the top five or six, and that's what we're still aiming for."
Pedersen said the team would never give up on sneaking a Champions League place until it was mathematically impossible.
But he acknowledged that defeat in their last two Premiership outings had given them a mountain to climb to qualify for the elite European competition.
"If we'd won against Blackburn, we would only have been three points behind Liverpool and we'd have put some pressure on them," he said.
"But now it's up to us to make sure we finish fifth.
"If we can get into the top four of course we will do it. But we have to win some games now."
Pedersen said the players were itching to get back on to the field to get back on track, and that the forthcoming breaks in the Premiership programme could not have come at a more unwanted time.
Wanderers do not play this weekend because of the FA Cup. Their next match is a week on Saturday at Manchester United followed by another blank weekend when England play Israel in a European Championships qualifying game.
He said: "When you have lost a game like this, you want to play again as soon as possible to get over it and get some points.
"Two weeks is a long time to wait for the next game.
"When we go to United, we can go into it and play freely.
"No games at this level are easy but we've done it before at Old Trafford and the pressure is on them and not us.
"I think they are thinking about Chelsea chasing them more than we are thinking about teams chasing us.
"The game against Blackburn was hard. We pretty much stopped them from having any chances, but we gave two stupid penalties away.
"You don't want to have penalties given against you, and you try to argue with the referee that it's not a penalty. But I think both were penalties.
"The results from Saturday were great for us and it was up to us to get a good result on Sunday. But we didn't get the three points we wanted, and that's all down to ourselves."
Pedersen is hoping he can follow up helping Wanderers get into Europe for the second time in three seasons by signing a new contract when his current one expires in the summer.
"There is no news yet on that," he said. "I'm hopeful, but I'm still waiting for Bolton.
"I've told my agent not to say anything to me before there is something concrete, some actual talks. But I'm still waiting."
And he put the record straight after a newspaper report claimed he said he would not want to stay at Wanderers if it meant playing at left-back.
"I've always said I prefer playing up front," he said. "But if I have to play left-back, I will do. Unfortunately, some of the press in England wanted to make some headlines.
"It's up to the manager to pick the team and when you get the chance, you have to take it."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article