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Saturday cannot come around soon enough for Gethin Jones as he and the Wanderers squad look to get themselves back on track in League One.
The vice-captain admits the mood at Lostock has been more circumspect in the aftermath of defeats to Cheltenham Town and Forest Green, which cost Ian Evatt’s side their place in the top six.
Barnsley – who currently occupy the place above Bolton – come to town this weekend, offering Jones and Co the chance to correct their course.
Evatt and Wanderers sifted through the details of last week’s disappointment on Monday morning and now, a few days on, the squad is ready to move on.
“We can’t dwell,” Jones told The Bolton News. “We came in Monday, had a big chat, looked where we need to work on, but it is still early days in the season. Football is a strange game and things can sometimes swing around quickly.
“I don’t think there was anything majorly different about our meeting on Monday. Obviously, there was disappointment, you wouldn’t expect it to be any other way.
“We all talked between the defenders, the midfielders, the attackers, met with staff and looked at where we need to improve. Then it’s up to us to go out there on the training ground and improve, and I think it has been very positive.
“We are still in the top seven. We still have to be confident, and I think second half at Forest Green, though we weren’t at our sharpest, I think we completely dominated the game.”
Wanderers had been on a four-game winning run prior to their Gloucestershire double header, and the mood among supporters has taken a noticeable turn towards concern since the weekend.
Within the squad, however, Jones feels confident there will be no negative impact on the Barnsley game.
He said: “You have to be strong, mentally, and even if you have a really bad game you have to look at yourself and think ‘how am I going to improve?’ “We all do it, even on the training ground if you haven’t been good enough you should be asking yourself why that is. And the first way to change things is to work hard. More often than not that can help.
“We have looked at those two games now, moved on and we are confident we change things on Saturday.”
Whilst their away form is ranked 17th in League One, Wanderers do boast one of the best home records, something Jones is eager to protect.
He accepts, however, that if the team are going to sustain a challenge for the top places, consistency must be found on both fronts.
“We have always said at home we can beat anyone,” said the defender, who turns 27 today.
“We know away form has to improve if we want to be at the top end of the table. But that is something we have to keep working on because there are a few away games coming up that we will have to tackle when they come up.
“The size of the pitch in itself is perfect for the way we want to play. I think away from home it boils down to concentration. On Saturday we still dominated the ball on a smaller pitch at Forest Green and had chances but we didn’t take them.
“When we go away to those teams we know what teams are going to do, they’ll sit in and make it difficult for us. You never get it your own way away from home.
“So sometimes you might think we are a bit spoiled playing on this amazing home ground every game but it is something we have to focus on, mentally, and try to change.”
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