With frantic festive football looming, Neil Lennon says the upcoming games will leave Bolton Wanderers and their manager with a better idea of their season’s prospects.
Bolton’s clash with Huddersfield Town begins a run of six games in the space of 30 days across advent and the Christmas period.
Wanderers will be comforted by a return to their home ground, where they have won three out of three since Lennon’s arrival in October.
“Christmas is a hectic period, so it is important that we try and keep as big a bill of health over the next month or so as we can,” said the Northern Irishman.
“I’m looking at it game-by-game at the minute. The players have to be ready as injuries and suspensions might kick in at this stage.
“The players who have been on the fringe may have to step up and make their mark. It’s an important period for the club because of the position that we’re in.
“We’ll have a fair idea of what position we could find ourselves in at the end of the season by the end of December.
“Our priority is to maintain our home form. The onus is on us to take the game to Huddersfield this weekend, but it’s a match we’re relishing.”
Huddersfield enjoyed a revival after former Charlton manager Chris Powell’s appointment in early September, but after going seven matches unbeaten, the club are currently winless in their last three.
Lennon knows his Bolton side will have to play at the top of their game to come out on top in tomorrow’s clash, and highlighted the need for consistency throughout the next month or so.
“The standards that we’ve set we felt like Blackpool was two points dropped so it’s important we get back to winning ways on Saturday,” he said.
“It won’t be easy against a team that has been reinvigorated by a new manager. Chris [Powell] is a good manager and he knows the division well after doing really good things with Charlton.
“We’re more than capable of challenging up towards the top end of the table, but we need to be consistent.
“We are always looking up. The flip side is that we could go on an adverse run and find ourselves in the bottom three again really quickly so every game from hereon in is vital.
“The league’s so competitive and there are no guarantees but we do have a little bit of momentum. Our home form has been decent since I’ve come in so it’s important that we maintain that.”
Main image courtesy of Sky Sports via YouTube, with thanks.
