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Bolton Wanderers: Nine things to improve to reach play-offs

WANDERERS have nine games left to secure a play-off spot and keep alive their chances of Championship football next season

After successive away games against Lancashire rivals Blackpool and Wigan Athletic in the next eight days, there are four games at home – Bristol Rovers, Rotherham, Wycombe and Stevenage – and three away – Barnsley, Lincoln and Peterborough.

The club targeted promotion but the path so far has been a bumpy one. Steven Schumacher picked up a side ninth in the table, three points off the play-off spots.

They currently sit seventh, a point behind sixth-placed Huddersfield, and with supporters believing again that there could yet be a successful conclusion to the campaign.

But with nine games to go, what are the issues that head coach Schumacher will have to tackle to get Bolton above the dotted white line and into the promotion mix?

We have picked out nine areas which he has to get right.

REACTION TIME

One of the striking features of Wanderers since Steven Schumacher took charge has been their ability to respond to adversity. No other team in League One has recovered more points from losing positions, and in the majority of the head coach’s games so far, he has had to find a tactical response to going behind.

The two defeats before the international break were a setback, even though results around the play-off race have been quite kind. Wanderers can now claw back some ground and put themselves to within a win of Stockport and Charlton if they can beat Rotherham in their game in hand.

The Whites have worked hard to turn a season which looked to be fading out into one which could still be successful but time is not on their side.

SHUT THE BACK DOOR

Wanderers conceded 51 goals last season in total and had 17 clean sheets but their defensive record this season has left a lot to be desired in comparison. They have already conceded 55 goals with nine games to play and have registered just seven clean sheets.

It hasn’t been easy to pin down an exact reason for the increase in goals conceded and they don’t fall into any particular category but Schumacher saw enough in the stats to make a change in goal, swapping Luke Southwood for Nathan Baxter, and will know that by conceding first so regularly his side are stacking the odds against themselves.

Ricardo Santos returned against Everton at the weekend and could give the Bolton boss an extra option at the back, not to mention some physical and aerial presence.

STRIKER CHOICE

With Victor Adeboyejo out injured until next season and Kion Etete still feeling his way back to full fitness, there has been plenty of responsibility heaped on the shoulders of John McAtee and Aaron Collins.

The first-choice pairing were showing some signs of weariness before the break and that adds a little extra pressure on making sure Etete can avoid any further injuries on his return.

The former Cardiff striker started alongside Klaidi Lolos against Everton in Sunday’s B Team friendly and the two players are going to be needed in the run-in to make sure McAtee and Collins do not burn out.

BLOOMIN’ ECK

Frank Worthington and Neil Whatmore were on the scoresheet the last time Wanderers won a game at Bloomfield Road. And that was 48 years and 16 visits ago.

Theoretically, they sealed an aggregate victory in the 1989 Sherpa Van Trophy semi-final, but they have not managed an outright win since Star Wars: A New Hope was first in the cinemas.

Back-to-back defeats against Bristol Rovers and Stockport puts Bolton in a rare position. They have not lost three league games in a row since the turn of 2022, at a time Ian Evatt’s newly promoted side were only just starting to settle at League One level.

Steve Bruce’s side have started to pick up points of late, beating Northampton Town at the weekend, and will feel there are enough games left to make a late push for the play-offs.

Spearheading their push, Bolton-born Ashley Fletcher and fellow striker Niall Ennis, who came close to joining Wanderers on loan last season and who is well-known to Schumacher by way of his successful spell at Plymouth.

LATIC-YPICAL

Nobody in this neck of the woods needs any reminder of Bolton’s recent record against Wigan Athletic.

The Whites haven’t beaten their local rivals in any competition in their last nine attempts, stretching back to January 2015. And they have taken just one point from the last five games, which have also included a couple of real hidings.

There is an added layer of backstory to their next meeting with the appointment of Ryan Lowe as the Latics boss. A long-time friend of Schumacher, the Liverpudlian pair worked successfully at Bury and Plymouth Argyle before going their separate ways in management.

It is nearly 14 years since a Bolton team went to Wigan and won in the league – and in a season which has already included plenty of firsts, what a time it would be to break that streak.

BALANCING ACT

Watching Josh Sheehan playing for Wales against Kazakhstan and drawing praise from national team boss Craig Bellamy, it is hard to believe his previous performance at club level had been so strongly criticised.

Striking the right balance around the creative Welshman has not always been easy, and it has been suggested that the lack of physicality around him in the middle of the park has enabled some teams to snuff him out.

Aaron Morley has worked hard on his defensive game, improving significantly after his spell on loan at Wycombe, but even he was showing signs of wear and tear by the time the Stockport game came around.

George Thomason had been moved into the back three as cover for the injured George Johnston – and his absence was felt a little in midfield – and the inclusion of the more attack-minded Joel Randall did not quite come off on the day.

Schumacher must find the right blend between his creators and his battlers in midfield, especially with the type of scraps in store against Wigan and Blackpool.

INTERNATIONAL BOUNCE

International breaks can be a double-edged sword for club managers, who can appreciate the reset and a chance to woLancashirrk for longer on the training ground unencumbered by fixtures and travelling, yet still have issues when key players are away, or worse still, pick up injuries.

Eoin Toal returned from duty with Northern Ireland with an issue which has yet to be confirmed by the club and doesn’t look like good news.

Josh Sheehan, Luke Southwood, Alex Murphy, Sonny Sharples-Ahmed and Sam Inwood will hopefully report back with no problems and give Schumacher the best possible set of options for Blackpool and Wigan.

Bolton looked like a team in need of some rest when they faced Stockport, and with the exception of a heavy home defeat against Huddersfield back in September they have won four and drawn one of the other five games after an international break over the last two seasons.

PRESSURE POINTS

We have reached the time of year where something is riding on most games, and the form book does not always apply. For evidence, look no further than the recent trip to Bristol Rovers.

The last nine games do look favourable on that front. Bolton have a couple of games against teams who have slim play-off ambitions, like Blackpool or Lincoln, and also host Rovers again at the Toughsheet with relegation looking more unlikely, yet not entirely out of the question.

The majority are against sides who may not be playing under any great pressure. Peterborough, Rotherham – even Wigan – have all probably started to look towards next season.

Can that be an advantage? Much will depend on whether Wanderers can keep their foot on the gas and maintain momentum to the very end.

PLAYING FOR PLACES

Whether it be playing at a higher level or replanning a promotion effort in League One next season, it promises to be a busy summer for Schumacher and incoming sporting director Fergal Harkin.

That several players are coming to the end of their contract has been well-publicised and there are some major questions on the future of key players like Ricardo Santos and Nathan Baxter.

It feels as though we are at a crossroads for Bolton and that the next couple of months will decide the extent of the recruitment effort in the summer.