PHIL Parkinson will try to press the reset button on Wanderers’ season as they head to Bristol City tonight.
Still smarting from a dire home defeat against Brentford, the manager is seeking to move on quickly at Ashton Gate and finally put a win on the board.
Chairman Ken Anderson gave Parkinson unequivocal backing yesterday, claiming comments made after Saturday’s defeat about the Whites’ chances of staying up had been taken out of context.
Now the Wanderers boss is looking to invoke the same fighting spirit he found last season to ease the pressure coming from the terraces.
“I think we all hurt after the result and it was more the manner of it, we know that but as a manager I can’t dwell on it too much,” he told The Bolton News.
“When I came in I spoke to the lads straight away what was lacking in the club, the disconnection between the supporters and the players – and the first thing we had to do was get it back by fighting together.
“We had big problems last season, we had injuries, we had to piece teams together, we had to work very, very hard.
“There was a certain pride. We have to make sure we come off the pitch at Bristol City having given a performance where the team goes right to the wire. I’m confident we’ll get it.”
Filipe Morais had a scan on a hamstring problem yesterday and there are doubts over Antonee Robinson and Reece Burke’s involvement.
Sammy Ameobi is pencilled in to take his place on the bench but Jem Karacan is injured and quartet Josh Vela, Will Buckley, Derik Osede and Stephen Darby are still unavailable.
Wanderers are also working hard to add a free agent to their ranks.
Parkinson hopes his players have managed to filter out the criticism which came their way after the weekend performance.
“You try to say to the players ‘don’t go on social media, don’t read the newspapers’ because it isn’t going to help you,” he said. “But we need to try and find a way of blocking it out and concentrating on what we have got to do to beat Bristol.”
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