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Phil Parkinson has backed his side to adapt if key man Gary Madine fails to shake-off a groin injury in time to face Chesterfield this weekend.
Wanderers were hoping for good news last night as the striker underwent a scan on his thigh.
If it proves to be an impact injury, the target man could stand a chance of being involved against the Spireites.
Goalkeeper Ben Alnwick also saw a radiologist to assess damage to his medial knee ligaments and more will be known about the injury later today.
Andy Taylor - the third player forced off at Shrewsbury - has damaged his calf and will also see a specialist to find out whether he has torn the muscle.
It is feared both Alnwick and Taylor could miss the rest of the season if the worst case scenario is confirmed.
But Parkinson remains upbeat that one of his striking deputies can cover for Madine and rise to the challenge
“We have got options with Chris Long, Max Clayton or Conor Wilkinson, who wasn’t even in the squad, and that’s why we took the decision to bring Gaz off in the first half,” he told The Bolton News. “Had that been the last game of the season we might have said ‘soldier on’ but it made no sense risking it.
“We’ll take a deep breath, patch the players up for this weekend and go again.”
Long replaced Madine after half an hour at Greenhous Meadow and has impressed for Wanderers since coming to the club on loan from Burnley.
But Parkinson admits playing him alongside Adam Le Fondre requires a very different approach, and one his team will have to perfect if they are to rack up a sixth consecutive victory in front of the Macron’s biggest crowd of the season.
“Different strikers just require different kinds of service,” he said. “I remember back when I was a playing myself that you have to think about what kind of ball they thrive on. Chris Long is not a Gary Madine but he’s got electric pace and he needs quality balls down the side.
“When he gets that, as he showed the other night against Oxford, he’s a quality player.”
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Wanderers were hoping for good news last night as the striker underwent a scan on his thigh.
If it proves to be an impact injury, the target man could stand a chance of being involved against the Spireites.
Goalkeeper Ben Alnwick also saw a radiologist to assess damage to his medial knee ligaments and more will be known about the injury later today.
Andy Taylor - the third player forced off at Shrewsbury - has damaged his calf and will also see a specialist to find out whether he has torn the muscle.
It is feared both Alnwick and Taylor could miss the rest of the season if the worst case scenario is confirmed.
But Parkinson remains upbeat that one of his striking deputies can cover for Madine and rise to the challenge
“We have got options with Chris Long, Max Clayton or Conor Wilkinson, who wasn’t even in the squad, and that’s why we took the decision to bring Gaz off in the first half,” he told The Bolton News. “Had that been the last game of the season we might have said ‘soldier on’ but it made no sense risking it.
“We’ll take a deep breath, patch the players up for this weekend and go again.”
Long replaced Madine after half an hour at Greenhous Meadow and has impressed for Wanderers since coming to the club on loan from Burnley.
But Parkinson admits playing him alongside Adam Le Fondre requires a very different approach, and one his team will have to perfect if they are to rack up a sixth consecutive victory in front of the Macron’s biggest crowd of the season.
“Different strikers just require different kinds of service,” he said. “I remember back when I was a playing myself that you have to think about what kind of ball they thrive on. Chris Long is not a Gary Madine but he’s got electric pace and he needs quality balls down the side.
“When he gets that, as he showed the other night against Oxford, he’s a quality player.”
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