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Dapo Afolayan is keen to keep up the pressure on the top four ahead of this afternoon’s clash with Exeter.
Wanderers are currently fifth in the League One table – just a point behind fourth-place Barnsley at this stage.
Afolayan says it is important to make sure they are as high as possible heading into the New Year, which has tended to be a successful period under Ian Evatt.
“It is massive,” he told The Bolton News. “The games come thick and fast and in this league there are no easy games.
“If we can build momentum and come out of the New Year with a string of good results, we know what we have done in the last couple of years in the second half of the season. We tend to kick on even more.
“It is good that we are in a good position now but if we can build on that and gain our momentum early, who knows!
“It is always good to be in a good position and be in that top six. I know the manager does and as a group, we want more than that. We want to keep pushing those above us.
“We have been disappointed with results in the last couple of weeks so it is just about taking our game to that next level and doing what we know we can as a group.”
But Exeter will pose a challenge, having come within minutes of victory against Sheffield Wednesday in their last outing.
A bumper crowd is expected as Wanderers hold their latest ‘Family Day’, and Afolayan hopes Wanderers can “rise to the occasion”.
“(They are) a decent side,” he added. “They gave us a good game here in League Two when we needed to get promoted.
“It is going to be a tough one. A lot of people here, so another chance for us to rise to the occasion and go and put a performance out.”
The versatile attacker enters the game in good form, having scored three goals in his last five matches for the Whites.
“I love playing football,” he explained. “I love getting on the ball and expressing myself. There is nothing better than that for me.
“I have been going into games recently – especially since I got back the team – just trying to do that and trying to do my best for the team. Working hard off the ball and then on the ball, just do what I know I can do.”
The goals haven’t quite flowed for Wanderers at times this season, and Afolayan was pleased they were able to secure such an emphatic victory in the Papa Johns Trophy on Tuesday night.
“It was another opportunity to get some goals and it was good that they were spread out,” he added.
“It was good to see Azza (Aaron Morley) score because he scored a few early on and hadn’t for a while. It was a great goal as well!
“Then Conor (Bradley) getting on the scoresheet and hopefully Baka (Amadou Bakayoko) if it is given to him.”
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