Neil Lennon has challenged his Bolton Wanderers side to combine stout defending with guile and adventure in attack ahead of an important week of fixtures.
The Whites secured their first clean sheet in seven matches with a hard-fought draw against Preston on Saturday night, lifting themselves off the bottom of the table in the process.
And while Lennon was satisfied with the character shown by his side, he wants Wanderers to go on and move themselves up the table with some enterprising attacking play.
“It’s a good point in the right direction, and one that lifts us off the bottom,” he said.
“We were resolute, but I’d like to see us show a bit more quality at times, I thought we were a little bit frantic on the ball in some areas.
“I want us to play a certain way, and I hope slowly but surely they’re adapting to it, but I would like to see us create more chances with the possession we have and certainly that little bit of composure with the final ball and the finish.”
Bolton face Ipswich tomorrow night, having lost on their last three visits to Portman Road, before returning to the Macron to host fellow strugglers Bristol City.
And Lennon knows that a pair of positive results could prove a season-defining boost ahead of the last international break before a potentially bleak midwinter.
“It gets us out of the bottom, and results went for us – we’ve got a good week coming up, and we’ll be looking to get points from those two games.
“I want us to turn the points into wins – if we can replicate the away form that we’ve shown in the last couple of games, we’ll be fine.
“It’ll be tough at Ipswich, but we go there looking forward to it, and obviously if we can get something there, we’ve got a really good home game against Bristol City to follow.
“Ipswich have real firepower in attack, while Mick McCarthy is one of the best managers in the division, so it’s a daunting challenge, but we go there feeling positive.”
Image courtesy of Bolton Wanderers, via Youtube, with thanks
