Manager says point at Preston is a step in the right direction
Neil Lennon says his Bolton Wanderers side are moving in the right direction after earning a share of the spoils at Preston on Saturday evening.
In a closely-contested game in front of the Sky television cameras, neither side were able to break the deadlock.
Gary Madine worked the Preston goalkeeper in the second half in what was arguably Bolton’s best opportunity, but in the end Bolton and their strong travelling contingent were forced to settle for a point.
“It’s a good point in the right direction,” Lennon said after the game. “I think you could see that everyone is pointing in the right direction and trying to improve our situation.
“We had an amazing backing tonight, and I can’t thank the fans enough for that. There were plenty of positives tonight, it was just a bit of a shame we couldn’t nick a winner at the end.
“We were resolute throughout, though I would have liked us to have shown a little bit more quality on the ball. I thought we were a little bit frantic at times.
“In the second half we improved and managed to get the likes of Josh Vela and Jay Spearing on the ball. David Wheater was a giant at the back as well.
“I did think the full backs could have been a bit better on the ball, but all in all I thought it was a decent performance.
“Yes, we did lack a bit of creativity at times, but it’s always hard coming away from home. It’s a clean sheet, which is something we haven’t had for a while.
“We want to play in a certain way and hopefully slowly but surely we’re moving in the right direction. I would like to see us create more chances with amount of possession we usually have.
“We also had two free-kicks in good areas today, but failed to work the goalkeeper. That’s really disappointing, because set pieces are something we work on.
“On the whole though, we’re pleased with the performance. We now go to Ipswich on Tuesday night in a positive frame of mind.”