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The hard work starts here for Wanderers, with Aaron Collins hoping to use the international break to make sure the club’s course is corrected against Blackpool.
After scoring two goals to topple League Two Fleetwood in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy and ensure the Whites reach the knockout stages, the Welsh striker said the dressing room focus has been switched immediately to the next game a week on Saturday.
Pride stung by the 5-0 hammering at Edgeley Park, Collins believes the players have a duty to respond against their Lancashire rivals and answer some of the questions that have been posed about their promotion credentials after dropping to 10th in the table.
“We know there is work to do, individually and as a collective, and we know we have to be better than we were on Saturday,” he said. “It is nice to win but the main thing is going into Blackpool now, getting the work we need to get in, getting focussed and proving to the fans that we are a lot better than we were at Stockport.”
Victory against Fleetwood was achieved in front of a modest crowd of 1,607 – the stadium’s lowest crowd since 2016. And though it did little to assuage the mood of disappointment which has gathered after the Stockport game, Collins felt it was a step in the right direction.
“Even though we don’t get a massive turnout, we want to win and put on a good performance, especially after Saturday,” he said. “It was nice today to come out, control the game and be the better team first half.
“We allowed them back in the game second half, it was frustrating that a deflection took it over Nathan (Baxter) but we created some good chances – maybe not clear-cut, but Macca (John McAtee)’s shot, I nearly tapped it in, and there were a few crosses that we put over.
“If it comes down to the 90th minute, it comes down to the 90th minute. We would rather it be more comfortable, but we got there.”
One of the undoubted plus points which came from Tuesday night’s result was a full debut for Sonny Sharples-Ahmed, who Collins felt was one of Bolton’s stand-out performers on the night.
“I said he should have done press,” he said. “He was phenomenal, he got on the ball, he was confident, I thought he was one of our best players. It is always tough coming in because none of us have played with him and we don’t know what we are going to get, but he showed what he is capable of doing and it was good to see.”
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