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Promotion is certainly not being viewed as a formality at Wanderers but Phil Parkinson and his staff are enjoying the view from the top two.
A maximum six points from the next available 12 will ensure an immediate return to the Championship, complete with £6-7million in guaranteed sponsorship and prize money and a sense of justification for the manager that leaving Bradford City last summer was the right course of action.
Having experienced play-off heartache at Valley Parade last season, the prospect of a hassle-free route to the second tier is an appetising one. Not that Parkinson is congratulating himself just yet on a job well done.
Until the last ball is kicked this season the conscientious Whites boss will not allow himself to sit back and relax – and after spending last night in the stands at Gigg Lane analysing his next opponents Bury, Parkinson and his assistant Steve Parkin will be back on the motorway this afternoon to take in Port Vale’s home game with Sheffield United.
There has been no triumphant talk coming from Lostock this week despite most of League One writing Bolton off as potential play-off opponents but that has created its own form of expectation.
“At this stage of the season there’s more pressure when you are down the bottom. I’d much rather be up here,” admitted Parkinson.
“I have been here as a player and as a manager and most teams have got something to play for. It’s about staying calm and making sure you produce a performance.
“There’s only one side we’d swap positions with and that’s Sheffield United – everyone else would love to be in our positon going into the last four games.”
Certainly, Fleetwood’s defeat last weekend left everyone breathing a sigh of relief, preserving the seven-point advantage between second and third place and meaning the defeat at Scunthorpe did not sting nearly as much as it could have done.
“Going into last week and games against Scunthorpe and Southend and to come out of it with the same lead was great for us. That was a tough week at this stage of the season,” Parkinson said.
“Despite not getting the result at Scunthorpe, to come out of it in this positon was a huge bonus.”
Oldham’s playing surface has been the subject of plenty of debate in League One circles, especially among teams who have come a cropper at Boundary Park.
Parkinson believes it will play a part in the outcome of tomorrow’s game, and by extension the promotion push, but believes the onus is on his own team to prove they can succeed where Fleetwood failed and modify their approach.
“The pitch is a factor and I don’t think there is any doubt about that,” he said.
“If you read Uwe Rosler’s comments last week, he admitted Oldham had adapted to the conditions better than Fleetwood. We have to be mindful of that and ready for what could be a bone-hard, very dry pitch – unless there’s a deluge of rain.
“Whatever conditions we play in it’s a poor pitch but it’s poor for both teams. We have players who can handle those conditions.”
Stuck up on the dressing room wall at the Macron is a quote from ex-Manchester United and England defender, turned pundit, Gary Neville, reflecting on Chelsea’s claim on the Premier League title.
It has often been used by Parkinson in the build-up to games this season but with a different approach needed against a physical Oldham side still scrapping against relegation, he feels it is especially pertinent this week.
“The quote says Chelsea will win the title because they can win all sorts of games, they can adapt,” he said.
“And I think this is going to be a different game than recent ones on decent pitches and we’ll have to be ready for it.
“No-one wants to be coming off at the end and moaning about the pitch.”
Source
A maximum six points from the next available 12 will ensure an immediate return to the Championship, complete with £6-7million in guaranteed sponsorship and prize money and a sense of justification for the manager that leaving Bradford City last summer was the right course of action.
Having experienced play-off heartache at Valley Parade last season, the prospect of a hassle-free route to the second tier is an appetising one. Not that Parkinson is congratulating himself just yet on a job well done.
Until the last ball is kicked this season the conscientious Whites boss will not allow himself to sit back and relax – and after spending last night in the stands at Gigg Lane analysing his next opponents Bury, Parkinson and his assistant Steve Parkin will be back on the motorway this afternoon to take in Port Vale’s home game with Sheffield United.
There has been no triumphant talk coming from Lostock this week despite most of League One writing Bolton off as potential play-off opponents but that has created its own form of expectation.
“At this stage of the season there’s more pressure when you are down the bottom. I’d much rather be up here,” admitted Parkinson.
“I have been here as a player and as a manager and most teams have got something to play for. It’s about staying calm and making sure you produce a performance.
“There’s only one side we’d swap positions with and that’s Sheffield United – everyone else would love to be in our positon going into the last four games.”
Certainly, Fleetwood’s defeat last weekend left everyone breathing a sigh of relief, preserving the seven-point advantage between second and third place and meaning the defeat at Scunthorpe did not sting nearly as much as it could have done.
“Going into last week and games against Scunthorpe and Southend and to come out of it with the same lead was great for us. That was a tough week at this stage of the season,” Parkinson said.
“Despite not getting the result at Scunthorpe, to come out of it in this positon was a huge bonus.”
Oldham’s playing surface has been the subject of plenty of debate in League One circles, especially among teams who have come a cropper at Boundary Park.
Parkinson believes it will play a part in the outcome of tomorrow’s game, and by extension the promotion push, but believes the onus is on his own team to prove they can succeed where Fleetwood failed and modify their approach.
“The pitch is a factor and I don’t think there is any doubt about that,” he said.
“If you read Uwe Rosler’s comments last week, he admitted Oldham had adapted to the conditions better than Fleetwood. We have to be mindful of that and ready for what could be a bone-hard, very dry pitch – unless there’s a deluge of rain.
“Whatever conditions we play in it’s a poor pitch but it’s poor for both teams. We have players who can handle those conditions.”
Stuck up on the dressing room wall at the Macron is a quote from ex-Manchester United and England defender, turned pundit, Gary Neville, reflecting on Chelsea’s claim on the Premier League title.
It has often been used by Parkinson in the build-up to games this season but with a different approach needed against a physical Oldham side still scrapping against relegation, he feels it is especially pertinent this week.
“The quote says Chelsea will win the title because they can win all sorts of games, they can adapt,” he said.
“And I think this is going to be a different game than recent ones on decent pitches and we’ll have to be ready for it.
“No-one wants to be coming off at the end and moaning about the pitch.”
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