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Whatever happens on Saturday afternoon, Cameron Jerome is urging all at Wanderers to try and look on the bright side.
The experienced striker has said his piece on what looks like being an unsuccessful bid to finish in the top two, his frankness appreciated by many fans who are also feeling the pain of successive home games in which the point gained just wasn’t enough.
Jerome was part of the Norwich team which let an automatic promotion spot slip through their fingers in the last few weeks of the 2014/15 season. He also scored in both the play-off semi-final and final as the Canaries reached the Premier League the hard way at Wembley.
As such, few are better placed to talk about what happens next for the Whites, who still have feint hopes that a Derby County slip at Cambridge United could make the last weekend interesting.
Jerome believes positive performances and results in the last two matches are a must, regardless of what they count towards.
“We have to go into that part of the season with a little bit of form,” he told The Bolton News. “There are some players who haven’t played as much and there might be an opportunity to give them minutes, a little bit of rhythm. But it is important not to go into the play-offs feeling sorry for yourselves.
“To be honest if this weekend the automatic promotion hopes are ended then I think it is a good thing that we have a week to get sorted, mind ready on what is to come, rather than have that little bit of false hope going into the last game.
“You can’t dwell on things and focus on missed opportunities. Whatever comes up now we have to reset, clear our minds, and get ready.
“If it comes down to a two-game shoot-out, I don’t think there’s a team in this league which will beat us home and away. We have to show everybody we are the next best ones, and still get promoted.”
Wanderers have lost the services of Jon Dadi Bodvarsson for the rest of the season because of a calf tear and have Dion Charles, Dan Nlundulu and Victor Adeboyejo at varying stages of the comeback trail after injury.
That leaves Aaron Collins and Jerome as the players most likely to start against Vale, allowing Evatt to manage minutes accordingly for the rest.
For the 37-year-old, who became the sixth-oldest scorer in Bolton’s history when he netted against Shrewsbury, it has been a busier conclusion to the campaign than he might have expected.
“As a squad player you have to stay ready,” he said. “Unfortunately for us we have had injuries in that position this year, been a bit unfortunate, but that’s why the manager brought in the players he has as cover.
“At the minute there’s me and Aaron Collins the only two 100 per cent fit ones but you’ve got Dan, Dion and hopefully Victor as well coming back in the next few weeks.
“It is disappointing news about Jon, but that’s football. It can be very cruel at times.
“Everyone has a part to play still, whether that is starting, from the bench or on the sidelines now. It is the way the cookie crumbles.
“We have six strikers at the manager’s disposal now and hopefully the lads can find a bit of form and fitness now over the next few weeks, I’m sure they’ll be a good addition going into that off-season.”
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