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"If you stay in it until the end, you always have a chance."
The words of Luke Murphy are a well-worn mantra for Phil Parkinson's Wanderers, whether they are applied to tomorrow's game against Preston North End or the survival scrap they again find themselves in at the foot of the Championship table.
Games have been tight of late but though Wanderers have continued to work hard, they have garnered precious few points for their efforts.
Faced with a daunting February, Murphy and Bolton know they are up against it if they want to stay in touch with the sides above them.
The midfielder found himself in the midst of a relegation battle with Burton Albion last season and recognises all the qualities that will be needed if Wanderers are to keep themselves alive.
And though the mood among supporters is currently one of despondency, he insists it is crucial that the players stay positive.
"A good team spirit is key and I believe we have that here," he said.
"It went down to the last game of the season last season and I was at Burton, where I think five or six games before the end of the campaign, people would have said we were definitely bankers to be relegated.
"Then, we managed to win three or four on the bounce and gave us a little bit of hope."
Murphy will be hoping for a recall to midfield this afternoon after sitting out the last two games. He maintains Wanderers' performances have been worth more points than they have got - but the record of one win in 21 league games suggests much more will be needed if they are to drag themselves away from trouble.
"When I look at the players we have got, I think that we are in a false position and we have the quality to get results throughout the rest of the season," said the former Leeds United midfielder.
"You can perform well, but it is a results business and we haven’t been getting them.
"The performances haven’t been reflected in the results, I believe.
"If we keep performing and doing well, the law of averages says we will turn it around and get the three points that we need."
Although it would require a six-goal swing, Wanderers could climb above Rotherham and out of the bottom three with victory against Preston tomorrow afternoon.
Murphy says the squad is determined to work their way out of trouble.
"We are going through a bit of a sticky patch right now, but I have found that not getting too low when things aren’t going great and vice versa not getting too high when things are going great," he said.
"Having been in this situation before, I know that it can go right to the wire and we will need to be in every game, as every game is important to us."
Source
The words of Luke Murphy are a well-worn mantra for Phil Parkinson's Wanderers, whether they are applied to tomorrow's game against Preston North End or the survival scrap they again find themselves in at the foot of the Championship table.
Games have been tight of late but though Wanderers have continued to work hard, they have garnered precious few points for their efforts.
Faced with a daunting February, Murphy and Bolton know they are up against it if they want to stay in touch with the sides above them.
The midfielder found himself in the midst of a relegation battle with Burton Albion last season and recognises all the qualities that will be needed if Wanderers are to keep themselves alive.
And though the mood among supporters is currently one of despondency, he insists it is crucial that the players stay positive.
"A good team spirit is key and I believe we have that here," he said.
"It went down to the last game of the season last season and I was at Burton, where I think five or six games before the end of the campaign, people would have said we were definitely bankers to be relegated.
"Then, we managed to win three or four on the bounce and gave us a little bit of hope."
Murphy will be hoping for a recall to midfield this afternoon after sitting out the last two games. He maintains Wanderers' performances have been worth more points than they have got - but the record of one win in 21 league games suggests much more will be needed if they are to drag themselves away from trouble.
"When I look at the players we have got, I think that we are in a false position and we have the quality to get results throughout the rest of the season," said the former Leeds United midfielder.
"You can perform well, but it is a results business and we haven’t been getting them.
"The performances haven’t been reflected in the results, I believe.
"If we keep performing and doing well, the law of averages says we will turn it around and get the three points that we need."
Although it would require a six-goal swing, Wanderers could climb above Rotherham and out of the bottom three with victory against Preston tomorrow afternoon.
Murphy says the squad is determined to work their way out of trouble.
"We are going through a bit of a sticky patch right now, but I have found that not getting too low when things aren’t going great and vice versa not getting too high when things are going great," he said.
"Having been in this situation before, I know that it can go right to the wire and we will need to be in every game, as every game is important to us."
Source
