Steven Schumacher wants Wanderers to ride the Wigan wave but not take their eye off the ball in their pursuit of a play-off place, writes Pete Oliver.
The Whites will be looking to make it-back-to-back wins at a critical stage of the campaign when they head back home to face Bristol Rovers on Saturday.
Schumacher’s men re-claimed a top-six berth with their dramatic mid-week derby win at Wigan and must now avoid a slip-up against a struggling Rovers side whose last victory came against Wanderers a little less than a month ago.
“As I said right after the game, it's important that we enjoy that night because it's been a long time,” said Schumacher, who guided Wanderers to a first win over their local rivals for over a decade. “And to win it in the way that we did was brilliant. There's nothing better than winning a derby game in the last minute, especially a derby game that was as competitive as it was.
“It was a real battle and the players showed a different side to them. They found a way to win a game that probably isn't a usual way that Bolton, over the years, have won games of football. So, yeah, it was a great night.
"As I said to the players, make sure you enjoy it. But once you get back in on Thursday morning it's forgotten about. We need to prepare for Bristol Rovers because that's now the next biggest challenge.
“And this league proves over and over again that if you're not right on your game, if you don't do the basics well, if you don't focus on the details, then you get punished. We've seen in the previous three games before we played Wigan that we did well in certain stages but got punished for mistakes and weren't clinical in the final third.
“So, that'll be the message to the players. We have to make sure that we're right, because we're coming up against a team who've beaten us recently and a team who are down the bottom end of the league fighting for their lives. They're going to be fully motivated to come here and try and cause an upset and we need to make sure that we get the three points that we want.”
Wanderers have their destiny fully back in their own hands with seven games to go as they prepare for the first of two home games in four days. Schumacher still expects the play-off race to go all the way as a handful of teams seemingly chase one semi-final spot.
And with another 20,000-plus crowd set to pour into the Toughsheet Community Stadium for Wanderers’ first home game in three weeks, the Whites’ head coach insists the supporters will again have a big part to play.
“There'll be twists and turns,” Schumacher added. “Like when we lost at Blackpool (last week) and people are thinking; have we missed a big opportunity because other teams won? And then three days later the picture looks completely different.
“That will be the case, probably, for the next seven games. We hope it will be us in that sixth position ‘til the end of the season but the likelihood is that there will be ups and downs and we know it's probably going to go to the last game of the season for that last position to sort of be settled. We just stay focused and try and do the business as best as possible.
“I just think the crowd the other night was incredible. To have that many fans behind the goal and to win it the way we did should take that momentum into this game. Hopefully that brings a few more supporters into the ground at the weekend. It’s also ‘Community Day’, so hopefully it's a big crowd and the atmosphere is bouncing.
“As I always say, the support is so important. It won't be we get it all our own way. It won't be a type of game that we cruise to a victory because we're coming up against a really good team. It might be nervous at times, it might be free-flowing, who knows? But as long as the support's there, then I can guarantee the players will give the effort.”
Watch the full pre-match interview with Schumacher on Wanderers TV