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Satisfied his team proved harder to beat – Jimmy Phillips now wants to add some style to the shape Wanderers gained against Reading.
A fortnight on the training ground after the Bristol City nightmare produced a more organised performance, albeit one which sorely lacked attacking quality.
Phillips was pleased with his players’ doggedness, although his enthusiasm was not necessarily mirrored by a Wanderers fan-base desperate to consign this season to the past and start anew.
Rob Holding’s red card after half an hour changed the game plan but it still took a stoppage-time thunderbolt from Ola John to deny the Whites a point.
“The way the players stuck to the task, closing Reading down even though they were up against it was pleasing,” said the interim boss.
“We didn’t see that in the previous game. We saw a different side of their character.
“We know we need more quality in possession but that’s something we will work on.
“Any team I’ve had success with as a player, or been on the coaching staff as a Premier League team here playing in European competition, the focus was on getting a good defensive shape and being hard to beat.
“That is what we attempted to do against Reading. Obviously Rob’s sending off changed that but with the shape of the team and the players knowing their roles and responsibilities you have always got a chance of staying in the game.
“It took a fantastic strike from 30-odd yards to beat us.”
Though Phillips was satisfied with his side’s work-rate and organisation, other stats from Saturday’s game make grim reading for Wanderers fans. One shot on goal, a meagre 25 per cent possession at home, and the lowest pass completion this season, with only Josh Vela hitting the intended target with 70 per cent or more of his passes.
Repairing that damage could take time, Phillips admitted.
“I think all the players have had confidence issues at some stage of the season with all the things that have happened on and off the field, what the club has been through,” he said.
“That is behind us now and from my point of view we have seven games left and I want to be a competitive team that plays good football when we can, that’s what I want to achieve between now and the end of the season.
“We have some tough home games coming up against sides that are vying for promotion and I’d like to give the Bolton fans something to cheer about. Yes, we need to be more creative but at the same time we need to keep that resilience.”
Ben Amos was named in the side after an ankle injury but showed no signs of ring-rustiness as he saved Matej Vydra’s first-half penalty.
The keeper had not featured since February 20 but Phillips was delighted with his return to the team.
“He was fantastic – a great save from the penalty and he made numerous other saves too,” he said. “It was always going to take something special to beat him and that’s how it turned out.”
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A fortnight on the training ground after the Bristol City nightmare produced a more organised performance, albeit one which sorely lacked attacking quality.
Phillips was pleased with his players’ doggedness, although his enthusiasm was not necessarily mirrored by a Wanderers fan-base desperate to consign this season to the past and start anew.
Rob Holding’s red card after half an hour changed the game plan but it still took a stoppage-time thunderbolt from Ola John to deny the Whites a point.
“The way the players stuck to the task, closing Reading down even though they were up against it was pleasing,” said the interim boss.
“We didn’t see that in the previous game. We saw a different side of their character.
“We know we need more quality in possession but that’s something we will work on.
“Any team I’ve had success with as a player, or been on the coaching staff as a Premier League team here playing in European competition, the focus was on getting a good defensive shape and being hard to beat.
“That is what we attempted to do against Reading. Obviously Rob’s sending off changed that but with the shape of the team and the players knowing their roles and responsibilities you have always got a chance of staying in the game.
“It took a fantastic strike from 30-odd yards to beat us.”
Though Phillips was satisfied with his side’s work-rate and organisation, other stats from Saturday’s game make grim reading for Wanderers fans. One shot on goal, a meagre 25 per cent possession at home, and the lowest pass completion this season, with only Josh Vela hitting the intended target with 70 per cent or more of his passes.
Repairing that damage could take time, Phillips admitted.
“I think all the players have had confidence issues at some stage of the season with all the things that have happened on and off the field, what the club has been through,” he said.
“That is behind us now and from my point of view we have seven games left and I want to be a competitive team that plays good football when we can, that’s what I want to achieve between now and the end of the season.
“We have some tough home games coming up against sides that are vying for promotion and I’d like to give the Bolton fans something to cheer about. Yes, we need to be more creative but at the same time we need to keep that resilience.”
Ben Amos was named in the side after an ankle injury but showed no signs of ring-rustiness as he saved Matej Vydra’s first-half penalty.
The keeper had not featured since February 20 but Phillips was delighted with his return to the team.
“He was fantastic – a great save from the penalty and he made numerous other saves too,” he said. “It was always going to take something special to beat him and that’s how it turned out.”
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