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Victory against Burton Albion was far from perfect – but Randell Williams was still happy to come out on the right side!
The wing-back was switched from his regular position on the left to the opposite flank, catering for the absence of Eoin Toal in the back line.
Williams had played on the right for Exeter City early in his career and later admitted it was his preferred side of the pitch.
The decision paid off, with Williams supplying an assist for Aaron Collins and then a finish of his own to score Wanderers’ second – his first of the season.
Bolton had toiled in attack to that point and then let the visitors back into the game by conceding a sloppy goal quickly after going two-up, which ensured a nervy finish to the afternoon.
Though there was much room for improvement, Williams remained pleased with 90 minutes’ work.
“First half we could have come in three or four up, to be honest, we need to get a bit better in that final third,” he said. “The positive is that we are creating chances and as you saw in the second half we got the two goals and the three points.
“We came in at half time feeling positive. We were creating chances, and you are not going to win a game in 45 minutes. It might open up at 60 or 70 and that’s what it did, we scored twice in a few minutes.
“The game can change quickly but it’s about keeping creating those chances and the goals will eventually fly in.”
Ian Evatt watched from the TV gantry high above the pitch as he served out the first of his three-game suspension for a red card against Shrewsbury Town.
That left Stephen Crainey and Pete Atherton barking out instruction from the sidelines, the pair in constant radio contact with the manager from his lofty vantage point.
Williams said there was little difference from a player’s perspective.
He said: “It didn’t feel too dissimilar, to be honest, as players you have to be professional whether the gaffer is there or not. He is watching, at the end of the day, and the instructions he gives to the coaches they give to us. We just need to stick to the gameplan we have worked on all week. We need to be more detailed in that final third and I am sure more goals will go in for us.”
Wanderers move on to Birmingham City on Tuesday night, the league leaders continuing their impressive start with a 3-1 win at Lincoln.
And though questions are being asked about the standard of Bolton’s performances, even in the midst of a run of 13 points from the last 15 available, Williams remains confident as he heads to St Andrew’s.
“It’s the biggest game of the season for us,” he added. “We have won four out of five in the league and it may not seem that way because we have not played the best, but we have got the results. Tuesday is no different, we have to go out and get a result.”
Crainey also took post-match press duties and agreed it had been a patchy display.
“I’m delighted to win the game, obviously, but we can play better,” he said. “We demand better as well and I think we will play better, moving forward, but it is nice to win games of football and we did that today.
“I thought the first 10-15 minutes we started well, good high-intensity to our play, had a couple of chances within that but you have to take those in games of football, otherwise you let teams back into it. We need to sustain that pressure for 90 minutes, not just 20. It’s something we aspire to do.
“That’s us won four out of five now, which is good, we’ve got Birmingham and Peterborough this week. St Andrews on Tuesday will be tough, we know that, but we have got a good squad here and we’ll give a good account of ourselves.”
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