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He delivered when it mattered most in last season’s promotion run – now Wanderers need their resident “Postman” to put his mark on a survival effort.
Filipe Morais achieved hero status at the Macron when he brought his artful set-pieces from Bradford City last January, the constant stream of accurate crosses earning him a tongue-in-cheek nickname from team-mate Adam Le Fondre, which eventually stuck like the proverbial postage stamp.
His first-ever campaign at this level got off to a decent start, as a fine free-kick earned a point at Millwall in August and a regular start in the team. But Wanderers’ failing form forced Phil Parkinson into tactical changes and after a red card in defeat at Bristol City in September, Morais did not start another game until December 30 – when he helped break the away jinx at Sheffield United.
Since then he has seen a fair amount of football, filling in a number of positions, including a left-wing berth in last weekend’s 2-2 draw at Barnsley.
Niggling injuries have perhaps prevented the former Chelsea youth product from featuring more – but with the season now just three nail-biting games from its close, Morais says he is feeling in good shape to help keep Wanderers from dropping back into League One.
“Since Christmas I have been training well and feel like I have been having an influence in games,” he said. “I think it’s difficult when you are playing League One football for a number of years – you can get stuck in a rut and it’s perceived that once you get to 30, that’s it. I believe I am getting better, fitter and stronger, though.
“I was determined to play higher and I knew I had it in me. Thankfully I got there in the end. I’m still looking to push on.”
Wanderers’ fearsome reputation at set pieces last season was down in some part to Morais’ arrival from Valley Parade.
Spurred in part by a determination to prove his former employers wrong for stationing him on the bench, the midfielder wasted little time establishing himself at Bolton.
“I hadn’t played for a while and wasn’t 100 per cent match fit but the gaffer threw me right in,” he said. “It took me a couple of games to get going but I still managed to get a lot of assists in a short space of time.”
March proved a particularly prolific spell, with 12 assists and a two goals in just seven games – earning him an award from the EFL.
“If I don’t get assists, it kills me,” Morais said. “Getting an assist for me is like winning a game or scoring a goal. I won’t be happy if I am not providing for strikers, I strive for perfection.”
Wanderers will have to be somewhere near perfect if they are to upset champions-elect Wolves at the Macron on Saturday.
Morais feels staying up would be huge accomplishment.
“It would be right up there with promotion,” he told Wanderers’ match-day programme. “Staying up there could possibly be even better because of where the club has come from financially. To stay up would be a fantastic achievement, especially with the resources we have in comparison with other teams in the league. We need to dig in and get over the line now, though.”
Morais is also one of 19 players out of contract at the Macron in the summer, although like most in the Wanderers camp, he is concentrating on short-term survival.
“I want to get a few assists and I’ll be happy,” he said. “In terms of contracts and the like, at this stage I can’t really think about it.”
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Filipe Morais achieved hero status at the Macron when he brought his artful set-pieces from Bradford City last January, the constant stream of accurate crosses earning him a tongue-in-cheek nickname from team-mate Adam Le Fondre, which eventually stuck like the proverbial postage stamp.
His first-ever campaign at this level got off to a decent start, as a fine free-kick earned a point at Millwall in August and a regular start in the team. But Wanderers’ failing form forced Phil Parkinson into tactical changes and after a red card in defeat at Bristol City in September, Morais did not start another game until December 30 – when he helped break the away jinx at Sheffield United.
Since then he has seen a fair amount of football, filling in a number of positions, including a left-wing berth in last weekend’s 2-2 draw at Barnsley.
Niggling injuries have perhaps prevented the former Chelsea youth product from featuring more – but with the season now just three nail-biting games from its close, Morais says he is feeling in good shape to help keep Wanderers from dropping back into League One.
“Since Christmas I have been training well and feel like I have been having an influence in games,” he said. “I think it’s difficult when you are playing League One football for a number of years – you can get stuck in a rut and it’s perceived that once you get to 30, that’s it. I believe I am getting better, fitter and stronger, though.
“I was determined to play higher and I knew I had it in me. Thankfully I got there in the end. I’m still looking to push on.”
Wanderers’ fearsome reputation at set pieces last season was down in some part to Morais’ arrival from Valley Parade.
Spurred in part by a determination to prove his former employers wrong for stationing him on the bench, the midfielder wasted little time establishing himself at Bolton.
“I hadn’t played for a while and wasn’t 100 per cent match fit but the gaffer threw me right in,” he said. “It took me a couple of games to get going but I still managed to get a lot of assists in a short space of time.”
March proved a particularly prolific spell, with 12 assists and a two goals in just seven games – earning him an award from the EFL.
“If I don’t get assists, it kills me,” Morais said. “Getting an assist for me is like winning a game or scoring a goal. I won’t be happy if I am not providing for strikers, I strive for perfection.”
Wanderers will have to be somewhere near perfect if they are to upset champions-elect Wolves at the Macron on Saturday.
Morais feels staying up would be huge accomplishment.
“It would be right up there with promotion,” he told Wanderers’ match-day programme. “Staying up there could possibly be even better because of where the club has come from financially. To stay up would be a fantastic achievement, especially with the resources we have in comparison with other teams in the league. We need to dig in and get over the line now, though.”
Morais is also one of 19 players out of contract at the Macron in the summer, although like most in the Wanderers camp, he is concentrating on short-term survival.
“I want to get a few assists and I’ll be happy,” he said. “In terms of contracts and the like, at this stage I can’t really think about it.”
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