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Jon Dadi Bodvarsson insists defeat at Burton on Tuesday night will not “define” the rest of the season for Wanderers.
Excitement had been building after a seven-game unbeaten run, which put Ian Evatt’s men within 10 points of the top six.
But a 3-1 defeat at the Pirelli Stadium took some of the wind from the Whites’ sails and left the manager answering questions about his team selection on the night.
Bodvarsson, who played his first 90 minutes since signing from Millwall, says the disappointment should not be allowed to transmit into this weekend’s home game against Wimbledon.
“I have been in England for about six years now and I still remember my first game, and just how crazy it is here,” he said. “It is unpredictable, you can be going on a really good roll like we were and then get smacked in the face like this.
“That is part of the game, but it is important for the team to not let this define us, it is just a shock result, and we go again on Saturday.”
Wanderers struggled to contend with Burton’s direct football and set plays, conceding three quick-fire goals in the first half.
Bodvarsson reckons members of a disappointed dressing room have owned up to errors on the night and he is confident there will be no lasting effects.
“Players were quick to say ‘don’t sulk’ – this is our own fault,” he said.
“It was simple, in the first half there was seven minutes of madness there on set pieces where we just weren’t good enough. That killed us in the game.
“It was just chaos on our part. We were all over the place. You can do that against a team like Burton, whose game is based around set pieces and long balls.
“Credit to them, they did it well. We didn’t cope with it well enough.
“Second half was tiny bit better, at least we managed to defend better from set pieces but there is a lot to improve on.
“This happens, we have to bounce back, and we are still on a good roll.
“We just need to stick to things we are good at, and keep going.
“We will watch the game again and see where we improve. We will bounce back.”
The playing surface at the Pirelli Stadium had been a topic of hot debate in the lead up to the game, and certainly played its part in Evatt’s selection policy.
“It was hard, to be honest, but it is not an excuse,” Bodvarsson added. “We knew before the game that conditions were going to be really, really tough o the pitch so how we play, it can be difficult on a pitch like that. But against opponents like that it is important to at least match them in physicality but it didn’t happen. It was one of those games.”
Now the Icelandic striker is keen to regain momentum against Wimbledon and get himself a first goal in Bolton colours.
“The fans have been so good to me, welcoming, doing the Thunderclap and everything,” he said, referencing his country’s famous terrace roar. “It is funny but hopefully at one point I can score, win a game and then join in because they really do deserve that.”
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