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It was simply an ‘I was there’ moment as Phil Parkinson’s side staged an incredible comeback from a seemingly desperate position – 2-1 down, five minutes left and needing a victory to have a chance of avoiding relegation.
That Bolton performed their great escape was enough at the time. But, a little under four months later, the effect of that momentous day has been spurring this season’s squad to the top three of the Championship table.
“We hoped players would improve for the experience of last season, and let’s not forget they played under a lot of pressure at times,” said Parkinson ahead of today’s game, in which his side will face a Sheffield United side who finished in the top half last term and have collected six points from 12 so far.
“I just feel the lads who were with us last year have grown from that experience.
“It was a pressurised situation. Mark Beevers is a good example of it, I thought when we played Birmingham he was a colossus against [Lukas] Jutkiewicz, who is a very good player.
“You look at the options they’ve got up top and they have got players who are feeling more comfortable at the level.
“Mark has come back and looks so assured as this level, which is great. The start of last season was tough to come back from, and your morale can get hit, but we managed it. And that finish seems to have had a positive effect on this season.
“People will say there are only four games gone and the table doesn’t mean much – and it probably doesn’t but it’s better being up there than where we were last season.
“We’re enjoying it and it’s a good group we’ve got. The lads are driving each other on. We’ve got more confidence from seeing it through last year, that has helped the ones who stayed and they’ve worked very hard in the off-season, knowing that to go into a Championship season you’ve got to go up a level physically.
“The lads came back in good shape, I’ve mentioned Wheats, Andy Taylor and Josh Vela previously, and the new lads who’ve come in have slotted in very well – not just on the football side of it but the character side around the training ground.
“That is key because we’ve brought in 12, 13 players and that’s a big change around and to get that right in the dressing room as well as on the pitch is key. At the moment the feeling is good and we’ve got to keep it there.”
Ahead of Middlesbrough’s game against West Brom last night Wanderers sat level on points with them and Leeds, two sides that, like this afternoon’s visitors, have the resources to have been considered genuine contenders before the season began.
And though he has yet to see any sign of complacency in his players Parkinson is adamant the same levels of determination and work rate will be required – today and beyond – if they are to maintain their excellent early-season form.
“Obviously we were pleased with the win [against Birmingham] on Wednesday,” he told The Bolton News.
“It was a hard-fought win as we’d expected but it was good to come out on the right side and get the three points and it set up the weekend terrifically for us.
“We’ve got to be delighted with 10 points from four games, it’s a good return for us and it’s important we feel confident because of it but we cannot get carried away.
“We’ll look to improve and take it into what will be another keenly-contested game against Sheffield United.
“We’ve played them quite a lot over the years in the promotion season and obviously last year so it’s going to be a good game, there’ll be a great atmosphere.
“I know the lads are eager to get going again.”
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That Bolton performed their great escape was enough at the time. But, a little under four months later, the effect of that momentous day has been spurring this season’s squad to the top three of the Championship table.
“We hoped players would improve for the experience of last season, and let’s not forget they played under a lot of pressure at times,” said Parkinson ahead of today’s game, in which his side will face a Sheffield United side who finished in the top half last term and have collected six points from 12 so far.
“I just feel the lads who were with us last year have grown from that experience.
“It was a pressurised situation. Mark Beevers is a good example of it, I thought when we played Birmingham he was a colossus against [Lukas] Jutkiewicz, who is a very good player.
“You look at the options they’ve got up top and they have got players who are feeling more comfortable at the level.
“Mark has come back and looks so assured as this level, which is great. The start of last season was tough to come back from, and your morale can get hit, but we managed it. And that finish seems to have had a positive effect on this season.
“People will say there are only four games gone and the table doesn’t mean much – and it probably doesn’t but it’s better being up there than where we were last season.
“We’re enjoying it and it’s a good group we’ve got. The lads are driving each other on. We’ve got more confidence from seeing it through last year, that has helped the ones who stayed and they’ve worked very hard in the off-season, knowing that to go into a Championship season you’ve got to go up a level physically.
“The lads came back in good shape, I’ve mentioned Wheats, Andy Taylor and Josh Vela previously, and the new lads who’ve come in have slotted in very well – not just on the football side of it but the character side around the training ground.
“That is key because we’ve brought in 12, 13 players and that’s a big change around and to get that right in the dressing room as well as on the pitch is key. At the moment the feeling is good and we’ve got to keep it there.”
Ahead of Middlesbrough’s game against West Brom last night Wanderers sat level on points with them and Leeds, two sides that, like this afternoon’s visitors, have the resources to have been considered genuine contenders before the season began.
And though he has yet to see any sign of complacency in his players Parkinson is adamant the same levels of determination and work rate will be required – today and beyond – if they are to maintain their excellent early-season form.
“Obviously we were pleased with the win [against Birmingham] on Wednesday,” he told The Bolton News.
“It was a hard-fought win as we’d expected but it was good to come out on the right side and get the three points and it set up the weekend terrifically for us.
“We’ve got to be delighted with 10 points from four games, it’s a good return for us and it’s important we feel confident because of it but we cannot get carried away.
“We’ll look to improve and take it into what will be another keenly-contested game against Sheffield United.
“We’ve played them quite a lot over the years in the promotion season and obviously last year so it’s going to be a good game, there’ll be a great atmosphere.
“I know the lads are eager to get going again.”
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