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Phil Parkinson felt a shock result against Leeds United was there for the taking, if only Wanderers had been calmer in possession.
Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at the University of Bolton Stadium, played out in icy winds and rain, was Bolton’s 12th in their last 18 outings.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side hit the top of the Championship table thanks to Patrick Bamford’s well-taken 66th minute strike, to which point Wanderers had worked hard to stay on level terms.
“We wanted to press them as high as we could and as a team we felt capable of doing it,” he said. “We nicked the ball from them in some good areas, particularly in the first half, but you just need that pass when we broke. It wasn’t good enough.
“We said to the lads afterwards that we can do better on the ball.
“OK Leeds have quality but when we had the ball, just that one pass, we were too frantic. It’s OK being frantic when you are closing down, you need it to be, but it’s switching back off when you win the ball. That’s what cost us, really.”
Wanderers’ wretched run has seen them take just three draws from their last 12 games – a return which leaves them second bottom of the table, just as they were a year ago, albeit two points better off.
Parkinson won’t allow his belief to be shaken, however, that things will turn.
“Definitely, without doubt they can improve,” he said. “We just keep getting on with it. The focus on what we’ve got to do doesn’t change.
“It’s horrible when you get beat, it really it. It kicks you in the teeth game after game at the moment.
“We’ve got to keep going, keep looking to improve, and we can say we have worked hard because we have, because we pressed Leeds well at times. But when we win that ball back we have spoken to the lads about getting that first pass off.
“You are 100 miles an hour while you win the ball back, closing down, but when you get it back you need that little bit of calmness to give us a rest with the ball.
“We didn’t give ourselves a breather in that second period although we did restrict Leeds to very little in that second period in a game played in atrocious conditions.”
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Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at the University of Bolton Stadium, played out in icy winds and rain, was Bolton’s 12th in their last 18 outings.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side hit the top of the Championship table thanks to Patrick Bamford’s well-taken 66th minute strike, to which point Wanderers had worked hard to stay on level terms.
“We wanted to press them as high as we could and as a team we felt capable of doing it,” he said. “We nicked the ball from them in some good areas, particularly in the first half, but you just need that pass when we broke. It wasn’t good enough.
“We said to the lads afterwards that we can do better on the ball.
“OK Leeds have quality but when we had the ball, just that one pass, we were too frantic. It’s OK being frantic when you are closing down, you need it to be, but it’s switching back off when you win the ball. That’s what cost us, really.”
Wanderers’ wretched run has seen them take just three draws from their last 12 games – a return which leaves them second bottom of the table, just as they were a year ago, albeit two points better off.
Parkinson won’t allow his belief to be shaken, however, that things will turn.
“Definitely, without doubt they can improve,” he said. “We just keep getting on with it. The focus on what we’ve got to do doesn’t change.
“It’s horrible when you get beat, it really it. It kicks you in the teeth game after game at the moment.
“We’ve got to keep going, keep looking to improve, and we can say we have worked hard because we have, because we pressed Leeds well at times. But when we win that ball back we have spoken to the lads about getting that first pass off.
“You are 100 miles an hour while you win the ball back, closing down, but when you get it back you need that little bit of calmness to give us a rest with the ball.
“We didn’t give ourselves a breather in that second period although we did restrict Leeds to very little in that second period in a game played in atrocious conditions.”
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