Home
It's good news, bad news on the playing front for Wanderers as they head to Brighton tomorrow.
Though Neil Lennon’s attacking options have been strengthened with the return to full fitness of Zach Clough, the Whites boss has revealed that in-form midfielder Liam Trotter will be sidelined for up to a month with a hamstring injury picked up in his brief appearance against Rotherham United last weekend.
Gary Madine has also suffered a re-occurrence of the back problem that has kept him out of the last two games, and Lennon has rated the striker’s chances of playing at the Amex Stadium as “50-50”.
Madine’s absence could leave his side with a conundrum up front, with Clough unlikely to be named as a sole striker and question marks still hanging over the match fitness of Emile Heskey.
Lennon is keen to keep some forward momentum going against Chris Hughton’s in-form side, who have won their last three games.
“Brighton is a difficult fixture at any stage of the season,” he told The Bolton News. “They played very well against Brentford last Friday and Chris has done a fantastic job.
“They play a nice style of football and have got real quality in there. Regardless of what has happened this week, we knew it would be a difficult fixture.
“But the form we have showed over the last few weeks has been very good but we will go there very motivated.”
Though the passing of chairman Phil Gartside has cast a shadow over the preparations for tomorrow’s game, Lennon is calling on his players to keep their focus as they attempt to claw back more ground on the teams above them in the Championship relegation fight.
“You have got to be professional,” he said. “We will go to training as normal and prepare for the game. From a personal point of view it will take me a while to get over.
“They went a long time unbeaten and had a wee dip but now they are back to the form they showed earlier on in the season.
“It’s going to be tough and we’re well aware of it. But they are all going to be tough from here on in. It’s how we approach games mentally and keep the players as fit as possible and enjoy the challenge.”
Source
Though Neil Lennon’s attacking options have been strengthened with the return to full fitness of Zach Clough, the Whites boss has revealed that in-form midfielder Liam Trotter will be sidelined for up to a month with a hamstring injury picked up in his brief appearance against Rotherham United last weekend.
Gary Madine has also suffered a re-occurrence of the back problem that has kept him out of the last two games, and Lennon has rated the striker’s chances of playing at the Amex Stadium as “50-50”.
Madine’s absence could leave his side with a conundrum up front, with Clough unlikely to be named as a sole striker and question marks still hanging over the match fitness of Emile Heskey.
Lennon is keen to keep some forward momentum going against Chris Hughton’s in-form side, who have won their last three games.
“Brighton is a difficult fixture at any stage of the season,” he told The Bolton News. “They played very well against Brentford last Friday and Chris has done a fantastic job.
“They play a nice style of football and have got real quality in there. Regardless of what has happened this week, we knew it would be a difficult fixture.
“But the form we have showed over the last few weeks has been very good but we will go there very motivated.”
Though the passing of chairman Phil Gartside has cast a shadow over the preparations for tomorrow’s game, Lennon is calling on his players to keep their focus as they attempt to claw back more ground on the teams above them in the Championship relegation fight.
“You have got to be professional,” he said. “We will go to training as normal and prepare for the game. From a personal point of view it will take me a while to get over.
“They went a long time unbeaten and had a wee dip but now they are back to the form they showed earlier on in the season.
“It’s going to be tough and we’re well aware of it. But they are all going to be tough from here on in. It’s how we approach games mentally and keep the players as fit as possible and enjoy the challenge.”
Source