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Nathan Baxter has sent out a clear message in the League One promotion fight: “Bolton will not back down!”
Ian Evatt’s side host leaders Portsmouth on Saturday aiming not only to ensure the South Coast men do not guarantee themselves a top two spot, but also to try and give themselves an edge over Derby County.
Peterborough United are also waiting in the wings for any of the teams above them to slip up, and, intriguingly, they will also provide the opposition for Bolton on the final weekend of the season.
With three home games to come before then, Baxter says a confident Wanderers camp can handle the pressure.
“We honestly have the belief that we can beat anyone,” he told The Bolton News. “We are very confident, and I believe we have got a great team.
“I know that Portsmouth have obviously accrued more points than us this season but, ultimately, we’ll be going out there knowing we have to win. We will be giving everything we possibly can.”
Derby left the door open by failing to beat Wycombe last night. Barnsley also suffered a defeat in midweek which leaves them eight points adrift of the automatic spots, and seemingly now facing up to another tilt at the play-offs.
Wanderers have Shrewsbury and Port Vale to come at the Toughsheet after Pompey and though the two sides are currently placed 18th and 20th in the table, Baxter knows nothing can be taken for granted.
“We have got a difficult run of fixtures, the next one (Pompey), Peterborough are a tough team as well, and you never know what it will be like at this stage of the season when you play teams down the bottom who are fighting for their lives,” he said.
“We’ll look at results when they come in – we’re human beings, after all – but we have to get our own job done.”
After returning from injury for the 2-0 win at Bristol Rovers, Baxter feels happier knowing he can directly affect the promotion run-in.
He has already played Championship football with Hull City and turned down offers to stay in that division to join Wanderers last summer.
“I have always been hungry to get back there and to do well but watching it from the sidelines is not very nice,” he said of his recent lay-off. “I want to contribute and the staff, the gaffer, the lads – we work hard every day and obviously we want the fruits of all that hard work to be playing Championship football next season.
“I know how good it is to play in that division, you have big games every week and we want to challenge ourselves at that level.
“There are a lot of lads who I believe have the ability to do it and I think our style of play suits the Championship. But we have got to get there, we won’t back down. We want promotion and that is what we will endeavour to do in the next four games.”
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