Home
Club captain Ricardo Santos says he will help shift any lingering disappointment after Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Portsmouth – but knows he will also have back-up.
The big defender excelled against Pompey, but two dropped points have handed the advantage back to Derby County in the top two race.
Wanderers can exert maximum pressure on their promotion rivals with a win against Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday night, which would narrow the gap to one point with two games to play.
And Santos feels he is a big part to play in getting his team-mates mentally ready to go again.
“We’re gutted we didn’t get the win, we thought we deserved it,” he told The Bolton News.
“It’s my job now, my role in the team, to pick the lads up, and I’ll keep doing it.
“But, to be fair, there are a lot of leaders in this team, driving it. Even today, I didn’t say the team-talk, George Thomason did it. We are all up for it.
“With this team we need to get promoted, we should get promoted, but it won’t be easy, we have to work hard for it.”
Thomason has been tipped by many as a Bolton captain in the making, and Santos – who along with him and Gethin Jones have been there in each of the four seasons under Ian Evatt – has been impressed by the progress he has made.
“He is great, he has changed so much from when I first came here,” he said.
“His hair is better. I think he was going for some sort of mullet.
“He has changed so much, become a man, a leader, and he has that grit in him. It is good to see.
“There are other players like that as well and we have to keep believing. If we stick together, focus on the final two games, anything can happen.”
Saturday’s attendance was the biggest since March 2012, when Bolton hosted Blackburn Rovers for a Premier League game shortly after Fabrice Muamba’s collapse at Tottenham.
Santos says the electric atmosphere was a big factor on the day.
“I never doubted the fans would be like that and from minute one they were unbelievable,” he added.
“The players appreciate it so much, and I hope we can get more of that on Tuesday night now, they can push us to go even harder now for the last lap.”
Source