Results away from home must improve if Bolton are to stand any chance of climbing to safety in the Championship table, says manager Neil Lennon.
Lee Chung-Yong’s late equaliser ensured Wanderers drew 1-1 at bottom side Blackpool on Saturday, a point which lifts them out of the Championship relegation zone on goal difference.
However, although his side were able to salvage a point at Bloomfield Road, Lennon is adamant they must not rely on form at the Macron Stadium to get results.
“I don’t want us to just be a home team this season, I need us to start winning games away from home on a more regular basis,” said the Northern Irishman.
“I thought we dominated the second half and a point was the least we deserved, but the way we’ve been playing it’s two points dropped.
“We came away with an important point given the fact that we went a goal behind with 15 minutes to go, but we need to play better than the opening 25 minutes.
“We’ve got seven [away] points out of nine but I need us to start picking up wins away from home if we are to realistically get up the table.”
Wanderers’ equaliser at Bloomfield Road continued something of a recent renaissance at Bolton for South Korean winger Chung-Yong.
The former FC Seoul man has found his feet again under Lennon’s management and has now netted three times in the club’s last four matches.
The Glaswegian is aware of Chung-Yong’s talent and also praised his attitude after seeing the 26-year-old’s class on and off the field.
“He’s a class player, he sees things just that little bit quicker than other people,” said Lennon. “He takes a lot of kicks but stands up for himself and keeps going.
“He was away in Jordan and Iran playing for his national team last week and to pop up with a goal late on speaks volumes for his attitude and his conditioning.”
Saturday’s draw was just the third that Bolton have played out in the Championship this season, with the side now sitting 21st in the table with 18 points from 18 games.
The Trotters return to playing in front of their own fans next weekend when 14th-placed Huddersfield – now just three points ahead of Wanderers – visit the Macron.
Lennon emphasised the importance of his side continuing to add to their points tally and building momentum ahead of next weekend’s clash.
“We want to go unbeaten now for a while and start getting three points every week,” he added. “We’ve set a good standard now, even though we didn’t match it on Saturday.
“Hopefully we can get the momentum back now with the games coming up and reach the heights that we reached a few weeks ago.
“Huddersfield is a game we feel we can win and hopefully it will take us further up the table.”
Main image courtesy of Bolton Wanderers FC via YouTube, with thanks.
