Bolton Wanderers skipper Ricardo Santos on 'winning ugly'

Ricardo Santos knows Wanderers weren’t at their fluid best against Cheltenham but insists results are all that matters right now.

Bolton showed their inner steel against the Robins, refusing to crack despite facing a barrage of crosses into the box.

It was an important result for Ian Evatt’s side, who were eager to bounce back from a disappointing display at Leyton Orient several days prior.

“I am happy with the win but performance-wise, I think we could have been a lot better,” said the skipper.

“We took a hard one on Saturday and I think we kind of showed spells of that (against Cheltenham).

“But it was all about the result to shake off the cobwebs and hopefully we will back to our normal selves on Saturday.

“To be fair, Cheltenham were a decent side. They surprised me a bit, they threw a lot of bodies forward.

“The centre-back, Curtis Davies, came up and he was good in the air. But it was just about getting that clean sheet and getting the three points.”

Wanderers have occasionally come unstuck in these types of games, and Santos was pleased with the collective effort.

“Since I have been here, those are the games we have kind of struggled with – when teams put it on us,” he reflected.

“They did that on Saturday and we ended up losing, but this time we won. It shows us and everyone else that we can do it.

Santos in the thick of the action (Image: Camerasport)

“(There were honest words) after the weekend - between everyone and not just the gaffer.

“We have got a good group here, an honest group, and nobody takes it in a bad way. It is all positive and for a good reason.

“There was a bit of that, and I would like to say it helped. We just want to keep winning and pushing on.”

The towering defender is eager to strike a healthy balance between driving standards and keeping morale high in the changing room.

“Every winning team, that is what you need. You can’t deflect, you need to find the reason why these things are happening and solve them,” he continued.

“We work hard every day on the training ground and the mood is always positive in the camp. I try to always make it positive and it is a good group, everyone supports each other. We will keep going.”

Attention now turns to Saturday’s trip to Brunton Park to face a Carlisle side fighting for their lives near the bottom of the table.

Wanderers were beaten 3-1 by the Cumbrians at the Toughsheet Community Stadium earlier this season, and Santos knows it will not be easy.

The Bolton skipper would certainly take another gritty victory as the Whites aim to keep the pressure on the sides above them.

“We always want to play well for the fans and make games exciting, but I think this period of the season is just about getting the three points,” he explained.

“We need to go out there and do whatever it takes to get results. At the end of the season, no-one looks at performances. They look at where we are in the table, so that is more important.”