Bolton Wanderers forward Jon Dadi Bodvarsson has called on his team to quickly move on from their disappointing defeat away at Derby County on Saturday.
Wanderers huffed and puffed for long periods at Pride Park but were unbable to find the breakthrough in a huge top of the table clash. They were cruelly punished on 78 minutes as substitute Kane Wilson rose highest for Derby to win the game and keep his side second in the table.
Bodvarsson has had a run in the Bolton team of late following an injury to top scorer Dion Charles, allowing the Icelandic international some much needed consistent minutes. He has just eight starts so far this campaign and has only found the back of the net twice.
In a game of tight margins, the 31-year-old saw his only real chance saved brilliantly by Joseph Wildsmith just before half-time. His diving header looked destined to give the Trotters the lead, but the goalkeeper’s out-stretched left arm somehow kept it out. It perhaps sums up the luck of Bodvarsson, who just needs something to go his way.
He explained the disappointment of the dressing room following such a big loss post-match:
“It is very frustrating that we conceded in that manner and lose the game on that,” He said via The Bolton News. “We were in key positions a lot of times but we didn’t take the chances and it is frustrating.
“We got a great result against Oxford and I felt great coming into the game, I felt like we played well. We played good football and dominated the game at a tough away ground. And for me it was a moment of time when we’d score the first goal. It just didn’t happen.
“We can’t dwell on it now. We have to use the international break to regroup. There is still a chance there.”
He was keen to ensure that heads don’t drop with just seven games to play in League One, despite falling four points adrift of The Rams.
“We just need to regroup and have that ‘nothing to lose’ momentum now. Go for six games and see where it takes us. I was just telling the lads that we completely focus on ourselves, we need to stop looking at the table, stop looking at how other teams are doing, it is just about us as simple as that sounds.
“The performance here was very good, we just didn’t win the game, and that is unfortunate, but we keep playing well like that and it will happen for us, I am sure.”
Writer’s View
Bolton looked destined for the Championship as we entered the new year, with their blistering form to finish 2023 giving them a real advantage in the race for automatic promotion. Although a stuttering period since has had some high highs and low lows, Saturday’s loss perhaps hurt the most as it puts the top two just out of their grip for the time being.
As Bodvarsson was keen to point out though, there is a lot of League One football still to be played. Trips to Stevenage next, and to Peterborough United on the final day could still be pivotal if they can find results in those games. However, they seem to have hit a road block at just the wrong time. They’ll be hoping this weekend isn’t the one they look back on as where they just fell short.
