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Jermaine Beckford won’t be unduly affected by the boo-boys who targeted him in Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Sheffield Wednesday.
The Wanderers striker was jeered by both sets of supporters when he came off the bench in the second half.
It was his first appearance since making a controversial salute to fans of his former club Leeds United during a game at Elland Road a fortnight ago – and Bolton supporters were clearly in no mood to forgive and forget.
But Dougie Freedman is not worried that Beckford’s confidence will be affected if fans continue to make him a target.
Asked if he was surprised by the reaction, the Wanderers boss moved to play down its significance.
“I was just concentrating on getting the win,” he said.
“Fans have their own opinion but I can only control what I can control.
“Knowing Jermaine he’ll keep on trying to give it a go – and he did that. I’m not concerned at all.”
Freedman was pleased with the input from debutant Owen Garvan, who was signed on a three-month loan deal from Crystal Palace last week. The Scot was also able to name Mark Davies in the side for the first time this season.
Both were substituted midway through the second half – which coincided with Beckford’s arrival and served to intensify the negative reaction from the crowd.
Freedman said the decision to bring off two of his main creative outlets was based on their condition.
“They are two players I’d like to have stayed out there but the simple fact is that they were tiring,” he said.
“Owen did okay. He’s a passer of the ball but he hasn’t played all season so, like Mark Davies, when we came to that 65-minute mark we had to make changes. “That’s where we are – we’re battling against injuries and fitness, but our time will come.
“Having Mark and Dean Moxey back is a big plus but the bottom line is that they are not completely fit yet.”
Wanderers managed just one shot on target in 90 minutes – that from skipper Jay Spearing 10 minutes after the break.
But in a defensive sense, Freedman was pleased that his side had kept a first clean sheet of the campaign.
“We needed some good defending at times towards the end,” he said. “Did we do enough to win the game? No. Did we deserve to lose it? No.
“I’m not concerned because I can see the effort. We were very brave to get on the ball and that shows you the sort of guys we’ve got here.
“We just need that little bit of luck to turn because we’re getting kicks in the teeth every way we turn.“When that happens you need to dig in. And I think we did.”
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The Wanderers striker was jeered by both sets of supporters when he came off the bench in the second half.
It was his first appearance since making a controversial salute to fans of his former club Leeds United during a game at Elland Road a fortnight ago – and Bolton supporters were clearly in no mood to forgive and forget.
But Dougie Freedman is not worried that Beckford’s confidence will be affected if fans continue to make him a target.
Asked if he was surprised by the reaction, the Wanderers boss moved to play down its significance.
“I was just concentrating on getting the win,” he said.
“Fans have their own opinion but I can only control what I can control.
“Knowing Jermaine he’ll keep on trying to give it a go – and he did that. I’m not concerned at all.”
Freedman was pleased with the input from debutant Owen Garvan, who was signed on a three-month loan deal from Crystal Palace last week. The Scot was also able to name Mark Davies in the side for the first time this season.
Both were substituted midway through the second half – which coincided with Beckford’s arrival and served to intensify the negative reaction from the crowd.
Freedman said the decision to bring off two of his main creative outlets was based on their condition.
“They are two players I’d like to have stayed out there but the simple fact is that they were tiring,” he said.
“Owen did okay. He’s a passer of the ball but he hasn’t played all season so, like Mark Davies, when we came to that 65-minute mark we had to make changes. “That’s where we are – we’re battling against injuries and fitness, but our time will come.
“Having Mark and Dean Moxey back is a big plus but the bottom line is that they are not completely fit yet.”
Wanderers managed just one shot on target in 90 minutes – that from skipper Jay Spearing 10 minutes after the break.
But in a defensive sense, Freedman was pleased that his side had kept a first clean sheet of the campaign.
“We needed some good defending at times towards the end,” he said. “Did we do enough to win the game? No. Did we deserve to lose it? No.
“I’m not concerned because I can see the effort. We were very brave to get on the ball and that shows you the sort of guys we’ve got here.
“We just need that little bit of luck to turn because we’re getting kicks in the teeth every way we turn.“When that happens you need to dig in. And I think we did.”
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