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Neil Lennon hopes back-to-back home games, starting tonight against Fulham, can reignite his Wanderers side’s climb up the Championship table.
The Whites boss concedes a run of just one point from the last nine available, amidst a raft of injuries to his senior stars, has made reaching his target of the play-off places a tough ask.
But he wants his team to finish the season strongly and hopes another unbeaten run can start on home soil at the Macron Stadium.
Lennon told The Bolton News: “The play-offs might be too far out of reach now so it's important we get a run of games together that sets us up for a strong finish.
“We were beating Wolves with 30 seconds left and would have gone 12th but we didn’t and now we find ourselves in 17th.
“There is obviously nothing between the teams so a couple of wins and everything is looking a lot rosier again.
"Even when we were unbeaten for a long time you were never comfortable. But we didn't get carried away with it and we are not getting carried away because we have lost a couple of games.
“We have two home games now and want to take as many points out of them as we can.
“We want to just stabilise and try to get onto an unbeaten run again.”
A second successive heavy defeat on the road at Derby on Saturday has given Lennon plenty to ponder ahead of Fulham’s visit tonight and he admits it is a new experience for him after dominating many of the games when he was in charge at previous club Celtic.
He added: “It's new for me in terms of recent results; conceding four at Rotherham and at Derby.
“But whenever we have had an adverse result we have bounced back very well.
“It's a big game because Fulham are there or thereabouts with us.
"It's a new challenge but it’s what we have wanted. It's a test for us as a management team as well as a test for the players.
“Our form at home has been terrific. Since I came in October we have only lost one game and that was to Liverpool.
“That gives us a lot of confidence going into the game.”
Lennon is likely to be without Matt Mills and Liam Trotter through injury, while David Wheater is a doubt.
But he welcomes back Neil Danns after suspension and is also expecting to have new Manchester United loanee Saidy Janko eligible a week after his arrival from Old Trafford.
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The Whites boss concedes a run of just one point from the last nine available, amidst a raft of injuries to his senior stars, has made reaching his target of the play-off places a tough ask.
But he wants his team to finish the season strongly and hopes another unbeaten run can start on home soil at the Macron Stadium.
Lennon told The Bolton News: “The play-offs might be too far out of reach now so it's important we get a run of games together that sets us up for a strong finish.
“We were beating Wolves with 30 seconds left and would have gone 12th but we didn’t and now we find ourselves in 17th.
“There is obviously nothing between the teams so a couple of wins and everything is looking a lot rosier again.
"Even when we were unbeaten for a long time you were never comfortable. But we didn't get carried away with it and we are not getting carried away because we have lost a couple of games.
“We have two home games now and want to take as many points out of them as we can.
“We want to just stabilise and try to get onto an unbeaten run again.”
A second successive heavy defeat on the road at Derby on Saturday has given Lennon plenty to ponder ahead of Fulham’s visit tonight and he admits it is a new experience for him after dominating many of the games when he was in charge at previous club Celtic.
He added: “It's new for me in terms of recent results; conceding four at Rotherham and at Derby.
“But whenever we have had an adverse result we have bounced back very well.
“It's a big game because Fulham are there or thereabouts with us.
"It's a new challenge but it’s what we have wanted. It's a test for us as a management team as well as a test for the players.
“Our form at home has been terrific. Since I came in October we have only lost one game and that was to Liverpool.
“That gives us a lot of confidence going into the game.”
Lennon is likely to be without Matt Mills and Liam Trotter through injury, while David Wheater is a doubt.
But he welcomes back Neil Danns after suspension and is also expecting to have new Manchester United loanee Saidy Janko eligible a week after his arrival from Old Trafford.
Source