Crucial games for Bolton

Thursday, 02/02/2012

by Emma Norris, Shoot's Bolton blogger

It seems as though Bolton Wanderers can do no wrong of late.

Following up on the impressive victory over Liverpool two weeks ago, the Whites overcame Swansea City in the FA Cup at the weekend before hard earned point against Arsenal on Wednesday evening.

In a game that was highlighted by the media as a less than impressive result for the Gunners, the passionate and determined display by the Wanderers was almost ignored.

To anybody who had not seen the game live, it may well have appeared to be an average stalemate – however the match itself told a very different story.

Despite having a number of chances to win the game themselves, Arsene Wenger’s side were on the back foot throughout half as the Whites pushed for a victory that not many would have denied them.

It had seemed as though the team’s hard work was set to pay off in the dying seconds of the game when Arsenal keeper Wojciech Szczesny appeared to bring down Mark Davies in the area, but referee Chris Foy waved away the penalty claims – much to the Bolton faithful’s dismay.

Come the final whistle though, the players were applauded and praised for their efforts. Had somebody offered us a point before the game - regardless of the Gunners’ poor form of late - I am sure that everybody would have taken it, but we were almost left disappointed that we hadn’t secured the victory.

Having suffered just one defeat since the turn of the year and confidence higher than it has been in a long time, the team appear to be playing with the belief that they can win every single game –something that is a joy to see.

Many claimed that the loss of Gary Cahill to Chelsea would affect the squad, but if anything it seems to have inspired them to stand up and be counted. With the bottom three all losing in midweek, the Whites have now got the comfort of a two-point gap between themselves and the relegation zone.

Although things appear to be on the up, we must not allow ourselves to get complacent. We travel to Carrow Road this weekend – a tough test at the best of times - before welcoming Wigan to the Reebok Stadium next Saturday.

With games against Chelsea and Manchester City on the horizon, the next two matches are undoubtedly crucial. We’re far from out of the woods, but we’re certainly going the right way about it.

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