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Tomorrow's opponents Burton Albion have been living on the relegation knife-edge for a few weeks now, and are fully prepared to take the fight to a final 90 minutes.
Victory for Nigel Clough’s Brewers at the Pirelli Stadium could take them out of the bottom three at Bolton’s expense but may still require another result at Preston North End on the last day to be absolutely sure of a third consecutive campaign in the Championship.
To push things that far has been Clough aim for weeks, yet it seemed a fanciful notion before a surprise home win against play-off chasing Derby County, followed by a stunning late win to relegate Sunderland last weekend.
Home form has been a significant problem for the Brewers, who had not taken three points at home in 19 attempts before the Rams’ visit on April 14.
“Getting that monkey off our back against Derby was a big release for the players,” said former Sheffield United boss Clough. “Being in the bottom three isn’t ideal but you only have to get out of it on the final day. Come the final whistle on Sunday, May 6, you have to be out of it then, not before.
“For us – we can’t afford to lose the game on Saturday – that’s the bottom line. Let’s just try and win it and complete that swing around and then someone has to get a positive result on the final day.”
Clough knows Wanderers are more than capable of the proverbial ‘smash and grab’ on Saturday, even though their once-lauded threat from set pieces has dulled somewhat this season.
“Bolton are more than capable of doing a job on us – scoring a goal from a set play which is a major threat for us – and winning 1-0,” he said. “We have to be very guarded against that.
“They know whatever happens that it’s going to the last game. They can put all those nerves aside and say if we win it’s all over. That’s what they will be hoping for.
“They will sell their allocation so the ground will be full. The atmosphere in the crowd can certainly help us.”
Burton defender John Brayford looked to take the sting out of the build-up, making the point that his team-mates cannot get caught up in the furore around a game neither side can afford to lose.
“Of course you relish all big games, and there’s no getting away from that this is a big game,” said the Burton defender.
“There’s a lot at stake, but we still have to stick to the plan we have going into the Bolton game - we’ll work on it on the training ground.
“We can’t get carried away by what the game is. We all know it’s a big game, don’t get me wrong. But we still have to put things into place to get the result come 5pm on Saturday.”
Source
Victory for Nigel Clough’s Brewers at the Pirelli Stadium could take them out of the bottom three at Bolton’s expense but may still require another result at Preston North End on the last day to be absolutely sure of a third consecutive campaign in the Championship.
To push things that far has been Clough aim for weeks, yet it seemed a fanciful notion before a surprise home win against play-off chasing Derby County, followed by a stunning late win to relegate Sunderland last weekend.
Home form has been a significant problem for the Brewers, who had not taken three points at home in 19 attempts before the Rams’ visit on April 14.
“Getting that monkey off our back against Derby was a big release for the players,” said former Sheffield United boss Clough. “Being in the bottom three isn’t ideal but you only have to get out of it on the final day. Come the final whistle on Sunday, May 6, you have to be out of it then, not before.
“For us – we can’t afford to lose the game on Saturday – that’s the bottom line. Let’s just try and win it and complete that swing around and then someone has to get a positive result on the final day.”
Clough knows Wanderers are more than capable of the proverbial ‘smash and grab’ on Saturday, even though their once-lauded threat from set pieces has dulled somewhat this season.
“Bolton are more than capable of doing a job on us – scoring a goal from a set play which is a major threat for us – and winning 1-0,” he said. “We have to be very guarded against that.
“They know whatever happens that it’s going to the last game. They can put all those nerves aside and say if we win it’s all over. That’s what they will be hoping for.
“They will sell their allocation so the ground will be full. The atmosphere in the crowd can certainly help us.”
Burton defender John Brayford looked to take the sting out of the build-up, making the point that his team-mates cannot get caught up in the furore around a game neither side can afford to lose.
“Of course you relish all big games, and there’s no getting away from that this is a big game,” said the Burton defender.
“There’s a lot at stake, but we still have to stick to the plan we have going into the Bolton game - we’ll work on it on the training ground.
“We can’t get carried away by what the game is. We all know it’s a big game, don’t get me wrong. But we still have to put things into place to get the result come 5pm on Saturday.”
Source