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Keith Hill insists there is “light at the end of the tunnel” for Wanderers despite another demoralising defeat at MK Dons on Saturday.
The Bolton boss says he was happy on the whole with the defensive performance at Stadium:MK but conceded the manner in which Rhys Healey’s winning goal arrived was down to his own team’s error.
After losing possession in the MK half, Wanderers were sliced open in midfield by Alex Gilbey’s run before Healey did the rest with his fifth goal in five games.
Such transition mistakes have become commonplace in recent weeks and Hill struggled to identify one single cause.
“It’s everything,” he said. “I can’t put my finger on one reason why we’re making these turnover mistakes that are costing us results.
“We played the last three away games and been beaten by the odd goal. The game is about mistakes and it’s no good beating me or the players up because we have to respond Tuesday.
“Two-thirds of what I wanted from the team today was evident but we’ve got beat by the odd goal, which is emotionally disappointing, I understand that.
“But there is light at the end of the tunnel. How long has this club been alive? There has always been another day, another opportunity.”
The warning signs were there early for Bolton, who nearly conceded on the counter-attack in the first few minutes.
And just moments before MK’s winner Daryl Murphy had a chance to put the Whites in front after being played through on goal by Ali Crawford.
“Dennis tripped in the first minute – a first turnover from the goalkeeper,” Hill reflected. “He was in the six-yard box and slipped and they nearly scored off the result.
“I don’t know whether it’s a fragile mentality. There’s an enthusiasm from the players to support him trying to score and it takes them out of position.
“There are a lot of players who have to protect more when we are attacking, not get involved in the emotion of trying to score. There’s a certain element of trying to detach yourself so that you can be in a defensive position in case there is a turnover.
“But I do believe the football gods do work in strange ways. Daryl gets a great opportunity, we’ve had a 45-minute clean sheet and one or two turnover opportunities. I thought we were quite comfortable with how the opposition were playing.
“It isn’t frustrating, it’s football. We missed an opportunity and they scored from their turnover.
“We had players who were too excited about attacking instead of being excited about defending, so that when Dennis did give the ball away it didn’t result in a goal.
“The players are intelligent. They know where they have gone wrong and we’ve looked back at it, they know where they should be. But in the furore of the game it’s difficult for them to make the right decisions all the time.”
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The Bolton boss says he was happy on the whole with the defensive performance at Stadium:MK but conceded the manner in which Rhys Healey’s winning goal arrived was down to his own team’s error.
After losing possession in the MK half, Wanderers were sliced open in midfield by Alex Gilbey’s run before Healey did the rest with his fifth goal in five games.
Such transition mistakes have become commonplace in recent weeks and Hill struggled to identify one single cause.
“It’s everything,” he said. “I can’t put my finger on one reason why we’re making these turnover mistakes that are costing us results.
“We played the last three away games and been beaten by the odd goal. The game is about mistakes and it’s no good beating me or the players up because we have to respond Tuesday.
“Two-thirds of what I wanted from the team today was evident but we’ve got beat by the odd goal, which is emotionally disappointing, I understand that.
“But there is light at the end of the tunnel. How long has this club been alive? There has always been another day, another opportunity.”
The warning signs were there early for Bolton, who nearly conceded on the counter-attack in the first few minutes.
And just moments before MK’s winner Daryl Murphy had a chance to put the Whites in front after being played through on goal by Ali Crawford.
“Dennis tripped in the first minute – a first turnover from the goalkeeper,” Hill reflected. “He was in the six-yard box and slipped and they nearly scored off the result.
“I don’t know whether it’s a fragile mentality. There’s an enthusiasm from the players to support him trying to score and it takes them out of position.
“There are a lot of players who have to protect more when we are attacking, not get involved in the emotion of trying to score. There’s a certain element of trying to detach yourself so that you can be in a defensive position in case there is a turnover.
“But I do believe the football gods do work in strange ways. Daryl gets a great opportunity, we’ve had a 45-minute clean sheet and one or two turnover opportunities. I thought we were quite comfortable with how the opposition were playing.
“It isn’t frustrating, it’s football. We missed an opportunity and they scored from their turnover.
“We had players who were too excited about attacking instead of being excited about defending, so that when Dennis did give the ball away it didn’t result in a goal.
“The players are intelligent. They know where they have gone wrong and we’ve looked back at it, they know where they should be. But in the furore of the game it’s difficult for them to make the right decisions all the time.”
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