Bolton Wanderers head coach Steven Schumacher has told his squad to ‘keep their heads’ as we enter the business end of the season.
The Trotters travel to Rotherham United tomorrow lunchtime in third place in League One and nine points behind second-placed Cardiff City. With just 10 games remaining, there’s little doubt that achieving a top two finish is an uphill task, but it is far from out of the question.
Cardiff has surrendered their lead at the top of the table to Lincoln City and have won just one of their last four. Meanwhile, Bolton are in the midst of an 11-game unbeaten run and now face three successive games against teams in the relegation mix.
Schumacher Taking Similarities From Plymouth Success
Schumacher was in charge of Plymouth Argyle during the 2022/23 season which saw them eventually claim the League One title. Despite finishing on 101 points, it was a feat that was far from plain sailing, with Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday finishing below them on 98 and 96 points respectively.
The Pilgrims’ success was widely down to their strong finish, which saw them win nine of their last 10 fixtures. Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s trip to South Yorkshire, the 41-year-old is hoping similar will see his current side prevail:
“I don’t think you have to do anything differently.
“You have to be consistent with how you are working because that’s why we are third in the league, and why we have been relatively consistent. Yes, we have dropped points along the way, and we’re a bit disappointed that we have drawn too many games.
“But I don’t think we want to change too much about what we’re doing. You have to stay calm in this last 10 games.
“In the year that we got promoted out of League One (at Plymouth), the last 10 games were mad. Some of the things that happened – we got battered 4-0 at Wembley in one of them in the last 10 games.
“We lost another one too which was disappointing at the time but we didn’t panic, we just stayed calm. And we ended up winning seven out of the last eight, I think it was.
“So, that will be the key message. While everyone else is losing their heads, try and keep ours.”
Bolton Preparing For Tough Run-In
Bolton will be full of confidence from their recent form, which will stand them in good stead for the remaining weeks of the campaign. They showed their grit last week when they staged a dramatic late comeback to beat Wycombe Wanderers 3-2 at the Toughsheet Community Stadium.
Seven of their last 10 fixtures come against teams all still in with a shout for promotion, which includes a trip to Cardiff on April 11th. The Greater Manchester-based side also face trips to Plymouth Argyle and Bradford City, whilst they still have to host Stevenage, Stockport County, Huddersfield Town and Luton Town.
Undoubtedly, if Schumacher can see his team come through those run of fixtures unscathed, few would begrudge them earning a spot in the Championship.
