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Daryl Murphy believes opponents in League One are now sitting up and taking notice of Bolton Wanderers once again.
The striker, whose late goal against MK Dons secured a third successive league win for Keith Hill’s side on Saturday, remains quietly confident that the club can continue in a positive vein regardless of impending EFL punishment.
An independent disciplinary commission has met to decide Wanderers’ fate - but their findings could still be weeks away from being revealed.
Bolton are expecting a points deduction of some sort for failing to fulfil fixtures against Brentford in April and Doncaster in August.
But Murphy remains bullish about Wanderers’ chances in the longer term, insisting the squad has enough quality to keep beating the teams above them in the table.
“If I was a team above us I’d definitely be looking at us differently now,” he told The Bolton News. “It’s momentum. I think the teams above us are going to take notice and not be as cushy as they were.
“We were a long way away from them at the start of the season and we’re clawing it back with games in hand as well. We just need to keep doing what we’re doing. We won’t stop.
“Like I said when I came in, it’s the position we’re in, the cards we’ve been dealt. The best we can do is win games as we’re doing at the moment and hopefully keep climbing.”
Considering the circumstances, Murphy has been impressed by the optimism around Wanderers, which reached a crescendo with his late, late goal against MK Dons.
“It has been such a positive atmosphere since I came in,” he said. “The place was bouncing. In fact that’s why I missed a penalty just to get a little bit more and keep people on the edge.
“The fans have been brilliant, screaming until the end, egging us on, you can’t ask any more. I can’t speak highly enough of the place, really, it has been positive. Even in training, it’s hard but it’s fair.
“What you’ve got to remember is that we’ve still got some very good players injured as well, so if we get a fully-fit squad then the gaffer has a big headache picking the team.
“At the minute we’re doing well, so whoever comes back in will just boost us and give us a bit more strength in depth. Hopefully that will help us climb the league.”
One player Murphy is glad to see back in action is Liam Bridcutt, who Hill revealed had recovered from a fractured sternum and dislocated shoulder in double-quick time to take his place in Saturday’s squad.
“You miss players of that quality and he was unlucky with the injury he got,” the striker said of his former Nottingham Forest team-mate.
“But he came back quickly and that shows you what sort of character he is, you could see he wanted to be out there.
“He’s nowhere near 100 per cent but you can see he gives everything and leaves it on the pitch. We’ve missed him.”
The EFL have not confirmed when they will announce Wanderers’ potential punishment but it now looks as if fans will have to wait for at least another week before the club finds out its fate.
Bolton face misconduct charges for forcing the postponement of a Championship game in April when players went on strike over unpaid wages for themselves and staff at the stadium and training ground. Efforts to replay the game were thwarted when the UniBol was refused a safety certificate.
In August, the club postponed a home game with Doncaster citing “welfare concerns” for players on scholarship contracts, who are advised to play just one game a week by the academy rulebook.
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The striker, whose late goal against MK Dons secured a third successive league win for Keith Hill’s side on Saturday, remains quietly confident that the club can continue in a positive vein regardless of impending EFL punishment.
An independent disciplinary commission has met to decide Wanderers’ fate - but their findings could still be weeks away from being revealed.
Bolton are expecting a points deduction of some sort for failing to fulfil fixtures against Brentford in April and Doncaster in August.
But Murphy remains bullish about Wanderers’ chances in the longer term, insisting the squad has enough quality to keep beating the teams above them in the table.
“If I was a team above us I’d definitely be looking at us differently now,” he told The Bolton News. “It’s momentum. I think the teams above us are going to take notice and not be as cushy as they were.
“We were a long way away from them at the start of the season and we’re clawing it back with games in hand as well. We just need to keep doing what we’re doing. We won’t stop.
“Like I said when I came in, it’s the position we’re in, the cards we’ve been dealt. The best we can do is win games as we’re doing at the moment and hopefully keep climbing.”
Considering the circumstances, Murphy has been impressed by the optimism around Wanderers, which reached a crescendo with his late, late goal against MK Dons.
“It has been such a positive atmosphere since I came in,” he said. “The place was bouncing. In fact that’s why I missed a penalty just to get a little bit more and keep people on the edge.
“The fans have been brilliant, screaming until the end, egging us on, you can’t ask any more. I can’t speak highly enough of the place, really, it has been positive. Even in training, it’s hard but it’s fair.
“What you’ve got to remember is that we’ve still got some very good players injured as well, so if we get a fully-fit squad then the gaffer has a big headache picking the team.
“At the minute we’re doing well, so whoever comes back in will just boost us and give us a bit more strength in depth. Hopefully that will help us climb the league.”
One player Murphy is glad to see back in action is Liam Bridcutt, who Hill revealed had recovered from a fractured sternum and dislocated shoulder in double-quick time to take his place in Saturday’s squad.
“You miss players of that quality and he was unlucky with the injury he got,” the striker said of his former Nottingham Forest team-mate.
“But he came back quickly and that shows you what sort of character he is, you could see he wanted to be out there.
“He’s nowhere near 100 per cent but you can see he gives everything and leaves it on the pitch. We’ve missed him.”
The EFL have not confirmed when they will announce Wanderers’ potential punishment but it now looks as if fans will have to wait for at least another week before the club finds out its fate.
Bolton face misconduct charges for forcing the postponement of a Championship game in April when players went on strike over unpaid wages for themselves and staff at the stadium and training ground. Efforts to replay the game were thwarted when the UniBol was refused a safety certificate.
In August, the club postponed a home game with Doncaster citing “welfare concerns” for players on scholarship contracts, who are advised to play just one game a week by the academy rulebook.
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