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Karl Henry insists Wanderers have enough strength in the dressing room to push ailing Wanderers over the finishing line.
The task for Phil Parkinson’s side was clarified after Barnsley’s defeat at Nottingham Forest last night - meaning the Whites could secure Championship safety with victory at Burton Albion on Saturday, and the right results elsewhere.
And the experienced midfielder is confident Wanderers can handle the inevitable pressure at the Pirelli Stadium.
“You need calm heads and people who have been there before – and we have certainly got that at Bolton,” he said. “If we achieve our goal of staying in the division, then the lads who have been involved will be better for the experience.
“When you are fighting relegation and you manage to come out the other side, it is like surviving a car crash, in a way. It’s so different as opposed to winning something – I think it’s arguably more rewarding and important.
“Staying in a league, particularly when you are favourites to go down, is a huge achievement.”
Wanderers slumped out of the Championship in 2016 under a heavy cloud of financial problems and facing an uncertain financial future.
Assurances have come from owner Ken Anderson in the last couple of months which suggest a budget plan is in place in the event of relegation. Nevertheless Henry feels the players have an obligation to the staff around them to ensure the worst case scenario is not tested.
“There are a lot of really great people here at the club behind the scenes who do a lot for Bolton Wanderers off their own backs a lot of the time, and we want to reward them for that loyalty,” he said. “The difficulties Bolton have been through have been well-documented, but it is not until you come to the club and you see it first-hand you see how much of a slog it has been for everybody.
“We can see that everybody takes pride in what they are doing, and as players, we should want to repay them out on the pitch.
“For me, keeping Bolton up this season would be right up there with the greatest achievements of my career.”
Source
The task for Phil Parkinson’s side was clarified after Barnsley’s defeat at Nottingham Forest last night - meaning the Whites could secure Championship safety with victory at Burton Albion on Saturday, and the right results elsewhere.
And the experienced midfielder is confident Wanderers can handle the inevitable pressure at the Pirelli Stadium.
“You need calm heads and people who have been there before – and we have certainly got that at Bolton,” he said. “If we achieve our goal of staying in the division, then the lads who have been involved will be better for the experience.
“When you are fighting relegation and you manage to come out the other side, it is like surviving a car crash, in a way. It’s so different as opposed to winning something – I think it’s arguably more rewarding and important.
“Staying in a league, particularly when you are favourites to go down, is a huge achievement.”
Wanderers slumped out of the Championship in 2016 under a heavy cloud of financial problems and facing an uncertain financial future.
Assurances have come from owner Ken Anderson in the last couple of months which suggest a budget plan is in place in the event of relegation. Nevertheless Henry feels the players have an obligation to the staff around them to ensure the worst case scenario is not tested.
“There are a lot of really great people here at the club behind the scenes who do a lot for Bolton Wanderers off their own backs a lot of the time, and we want to reward them for that loyalty,” he said. “The difficulties Bolton have been through have been well-documented, but it is not until you come to the club and you see it first-hand you see how much of a slog it has been for everybody.
“We can see that everybody takes pride in what they are doing, and as players, we should want to repay them out on the pitch.
“For me, keeping Bolton up this season would be right up there with the greatest achievements of my career.”
Source
