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Jack Iredale wants to be top of the class at Wanderers and steer them into the third round of the FA Cup.
Though starting as heavy favourites against Harrogate Town this afternoon, Bolton have prepared meticulously for their League Two opponents as they look to cement a new club record for consecutive clean sheets.
Ian Evatt’s side could surpass the previous high, set in 1900, by keeping out their opponents and Australian defender Iredale believes every effort has been made to ensure there will be no upset at the Toughsheet Stadium.
“Nothing changes for us, we want to win the game, it doesn’t matter if it is the cup, the league, we just won’t let complacency creep in,” he told The Bolton News.
“Honestly, you are learning every single day. First things we do is come back in and do a video session looking at the last game. We beat Exeter 7-0 but we were still being shown things that we can work on and things we could have done better in certain situations.
“Every day at a club like this you have to get better, and I think you are seeing that happening at the moment.
“It is definitely elite – and I don’t personally know if it is different to what is happening elsewhere at this level because I haven’t experienced it but I do know it is getting us comfortable with what it would be like in a higher division.
“You have to be able to do them right in this league if you are going to succeed up there.”
Wanderers’ attention to detail has helped improve their returns from set pieces – and each goal scored also ensures a payment from the coaching fines jar to the players’ party collection.
Such has been the players’ success in recent weeks, Iredale expects captain Ricardo Santos to have a very reasonable budget.
“I think at the start of last season they put a lot more emphasis on attacking and defending set plays and now they are getting the rewards,” he said. “The gaffer is getting bit annoyed with us – in a good way – about how many we’re scoring at the moment.
“It has been quite seamless, really, we have been identifying where the teams are weaker in their zones and how they set up. We have a number of routines we can draw from and then just mix and match depending on the opponents.
“The Christmas kitty is looking good. I’m trying to get home. Maybe I’ll get two hours and then get back on the plane?”
Iredale was born in Scotland but grew up in New Zealand and Australia, which meant he spent formative years watching FA Cup football on the TV.
Now, with the prospect of playing a Premier League club in the next round, he is keen to ensure that Harrogate do not catch Bolton off-guard.
“Growing up when I was in New Zealand and Australia at the time, the FA Cup was absolutely massive,” he said. “We didn’t really have those sort of cup competitions because the game wasn’t quite as big at that stage. Now Australia does have its own version.
“For me it is still a really important thing.
“So this game is a mentality thing, a standards thing, no matter who we are playing we won’t treat the game any differently, we just want to win it.
“I think this season we have talked about being ruthless. Earlier maybe we got two or three up at half time and sort of coasted – or rather we wouldn’t go on and score more.
“It is something we know we have got in the locker. We have to keep trying to do it.”
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