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Even as Phil Parkinson completed his summary of a hugely-satisfying 90 minutes of football at Gigg Lane, fans’ chants could still be heard echoing in the background.
There have been some awkward touchline talks between the local media and the Wanderers manager in the last few years. Dougie Freedman’s icy stare after defeat at Fulham told you the Scot sensed what was coming, likewise the resignation in Neil Lennon’s voice said everything about the situation he had lived through at the Macron.
Even Jimmy Phillips – there only in a temporary capacity – had a haunted look as he too stood at Craven Cottage to answer how last season had finished so poorly.
Parkinson has only once had to dip his toe into that territory. Fans were left wondering if the relegation hangover had indeed cleared when back-to-back defeats against Rochdale and Oxford United left things feeling slightly unstable. But on Tuesday night, the manager felt he had exorcised that particular demon.
Pride beaming from his face, Parkinson – not someone who particularly courts publicity and chooses his words incredibly carefully – was clearly delighted.
When performances dipped below a level considered acceptable, Wanderers fans have not been shy to let the players or their manager know in the last 12 months.
From the creation of an official trust in January and the banners of “no effort, no hope” last April to the vitriol poured down from travelling supporters at Spotland just a few short weeks ago, 2016 has been a year in which the terraces have taken control.
Tuesday night’s following was no less indicative of the mood around Bolton right now. Only this time, it had a much more positive tone.
“Before the game I told the lads we have to earn the support, it doesn’t just come,” Parkinson told The Bolton News. “It doesn’t happen quickly, either, and the players have had to earn that trust again. The supporters are identifying that there is honesty out there on the pitch and as long as they’ve got that, I think Bolton fans will be behind us.
“They want commitment and endeavour and then you get a backing like that – it was like a home game.
“You go back to the Rochdale game a few weeks ago and it’s a real contrast at the moment. I’m very pleased we have put that game to bed now.”
Wanderers have now moved back into second place and are starting to rack up clean sheets with the clinical precision of a team expecting to stay at the top.
A third of the season has now passed by and Parkinson’s side appear to have fully recovered from their dip of a few weeks ago.
“I still think there were reasons for it, in fairness, we’d picked up injuries to some key players and there had been some disruption but we’ve settled into a way of playing and we need to carry that on now,” the manager said.
“We have gone back to doing what we did at the start of the season and it’s up to us to make sure that happens every single week.”
Being able to bank on such a large travelling support has also helped Wanderers’ problems away from home.
The club came into the current season having failed to win on their travels for 13 months. They now have five wins from eight away games – the same number of victories they managed over the previous 48.
Parkinson was quick to acknowledge the part played by the fans in getting the players back on track.
“Old grounds like Gigg Lane, when they’re full-ish, do create a great atmosphere,” he said. “Like I said before the game, a few weeks ago Bury were second in the table, they are a good side and this was always going to be tough.
“I wondered whether the fact we hadn’t won here for so long (87 years in the league) was down to under-estimating them, maybe even looking down at Bury. That was something I was very keen to avoid..”
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There have been some awkward touchline talks between the local media and the Wanderers manager in the last few years. Dougie Freedman’s icy stare after defeat at Fulham told you the Scot sensed what was coming, likewise the resignation in Neil Lennon’s voice said everything about the situation he had lived through at the Macron.
Even Jimmy Phillips – there only in a temporary capacity – had a haunted look as he too stood at Craven Cottage to answer how last season had finished so poorly.
Parkinson has only once had to dip his toe into that territory. Fans were left wondering if the relegation hangover had indeed cleared when back-to-back defeats against Rochdale and Oxford United left things feeling slightly unstable. But on Tuesday night, the manager felt he had exorcised that particular demon.
Pride beaming from his face, Parkinson – not someone who particularly courts publicity and chooses his words incredibly carefully – was clearly delighted.
When performances dipped below a level considered acceptable, Wanderers fans have not been shy to let the players or their manager know in the last 12 months.
From the creation of an official trust in January and the banners of “no effort, no hope” last April to the vitriol poured down from travelling supporters at Spotland just a few short weeks ago, 2016 has been a year in which the terraces have taken control.
Tuesday night’s following was no less indicative of the mood around Bolton right now. Only this time, it had a much more positive tone.
“Before the game I told the lads we have to earn the support, it doesn’t just come,” Parkinson told The Bolton News. “It doesn’t happen quickly, either, and the players have had to earn that trust again. The supporters are identifying that there is honesty out there on the pitch and as long as they’ve got that, I think Bolton fans will be behind us.
“They want commitment and endeavour and then you get a backing like that – it was like a home game.
“You go back to the Rochdale game a few weeks ago and it’s a real contrast at the moment. I’m very pleased we have put that game to bed now.”
Wanderers have now moved back into second place and are starting to rack up clean sheets with the clinical precision of a team expecting to stay at the top.
A third of the season has now passed by and Parkinson’s side appear to have fully recovered from their dip of a few weeks ago.
“I still think there were reasons for it, in fairness, we’d picked up injuries to some key players and there had been some disruption but we’ve settled into a way of playing and we need to carry that on now,” the manager said.
“We have gone back to doing what we did at the start of the season and it’s up to us to make sure that happens every single week.”
Being able to bank on such a large travelling support has also helped Wanderers’ problems away from home.
The club came into the current season having failed to win on their travels for 13 months. They now have five wins from eight away games – the same number of victories they managed over the previous 48.
Parkinson was quick to acknowledge the part played by the fans in getting the players back on track.
“Old grounds like Gigg Lane, when they’re full-ish, do create a great atmosphere,” he said. “Like I said before the game, a few weeks ago Bury were second in the table, they are a good side and this was always going to be tough.
“I wondered whether the fact we hadn’t won here for so long (87 years in the league) was down to under-estimating them, maybe even looking down at Bury. That was something I was very keen to avoid..”
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