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The memory of seeing it all go horribly wrong at Wanderers is keeping David Wheater on his toes this season.
Last season’s catalogue of catastrophes feels a long time ago for the big defender – but he admits the fear of returning to those uncertain times has acted as a motivation since returning to the club.
Wheater was one of the casualties of relegation, named among 20-plus players and staff released in the summer. But after Phil Parkinson identified his worth to the group, bringing him quickly back into the fold, the 29-year-old has rewarded his faith with a string of rock-solid performances.
Wanderers go to Bury on the back of four consecutive clean sheets, brimming with confidence having conceded just 10 goals in their opening 14 games.
“It’s a very different place,” Wheater told The Bolton News. “Confidence builds with wins, obviously, and right now we’ve just got to try and keep it going.
“We’ve had a dip in form this season. We got a reminder of what it was like with the fans on your back but I always felt we’d bring it round. We had that determination this time.
“I say ‘dip in form’ but it was only a couple of games. Last season a dip in form went on months. You never want to return to that. We’ll get weeks where it doesn’t go, but you just have to make sure you do your job and the results should come along. We need to be consistent. Not up and down all the time.”
The recipe for Wanderers’ defensive improvement can be found on the training ground, Wheater admits.
Though reluctant to criticise the former regime, the former Middlesbrough man is not the first to say that life under Phil Parkinson’s stewardship is a lot more predictable and managed.
“I think it comes down to the face we work on it a bit more,” the centre-half said. “I’m not saying anything bad about Lennon – I liked his training – but afterwards we’re doing things like heading practice. The manager watches it all, and as I’ve said before, you’re down doing press-ups if it goes wrong. I don’t like them, so I get it right.”
Alongside Wheater is another towering defender who has made a profound impact since joining Wanderers from Millwall in the summer.
Mark Beevers, equally laid-back, just as willing to put his body on the line for the team, has been sharing the fans’ adulation.
Though some among the coaching staff feel both men are better footballers than they give themselves credit for, Wheater is unwilling to stray too far from the formula which has got them this far.
“I think we both clicked right away and I think that’s because we’re both pure defenders,” he said. “That’s not to say we’re not good on the ball, but it’s not the first thought.
“We just want to get it out of the box and let someone like Zach Clough or the Sammy Ameobi do their bit. In this league you can’t be too fancy. We’re not Barcelona and we can’t tippy-tappy about.
“We just head it, kick it, and I think we complement each other as well because if one goes up for a header then the other one covers. We work on that a lot.”
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Last season’s catalogue of catastrophes feels a long time ago for the big defender – but he admits the fear of returning to those uncertain times has acted as a motivation since returning to the club.
Wheater was one of the casualties of relegation, named among 20-plus players and staff released in the summer. But after Phil Parkinson identified his worth to the group, bringing him quickly back into the fold, the 29-year-old has rewarded his faith with a string of rock-solid performances.
Wanderers go to Bury on the back of four consecutive clean sheets, brimming with confidence having conceded just 10 goals in their opening 14 games.
“It’s a very different place,” Wheater told The Bolton News. “Confidence builds with wins, obviously, and right now we’ve just got to try and keep it going.
“We’ve had a dip in form this season. We got a reminder of what it was like with the fans on your back but I always felt we’d bring it round. We had that determination this time.
“I say ‘dip in form’ but it was only a couple of games. Last season a dip in form went on months. You never want to return to that. We’ll get weeks where it doesn’t go, but you just have to make sure you do your job and the results should come along. We need to be consistent. Not up and down all the time.”
The recipe for Wanderers’ defensive improvement can be found on the training ground, Wheater admits.
Though reluctant to criticise the former regime, the former Middlesbrough man is not the first to say that life under Phil Parkinson’s stewardship is a lot more predictable and managed.
“I think it comes down to the face we work on it a bit more,” the centre-half said. “I’m not saying anything bad about Lennon – I liked his training – but afterwards we’re doing things like heading practice. The manager watches it all, and as I’ve said before, you’re down doing press-ups if it goes wrong. I don’t like them, so I get it right.”
Alongside Wheater is another towering defender who has made a profound impact since joining Wanderers from Millwall in the summer.
Mark Beevers, equally laid-back, just as willing to put his body on the line for the team, has been sharing the fans’ adulation.
Though some among the coaching staff feel both men are better footballers than they give themselves credit for, Wheater is unwilling to stray too far from the formula which has got them this far.
“I think we both clicked right away and I think that’s because we’re both pure defenders,” he said. “That’s not to say we’re not good on the ball, but it’s not the first thought.
“We just want to get it out of the box and let someone like Zach Clough or the Sammy Ameobi do their bit. In this league you can’t be too fancy. We’re not Barcelona and we can’t tippy-tappy about.
“We just head it, kick it, and I think we complement each other as well because if one goes up for a header then the other one covers. We work on that a lot.”
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