It would be a disappointing end to the 2023-24 campaign for Bolton Wanderers after coming up just short in the League One play-off final against Oxford United and it’s hard to say that the players gave a good account of themselves.
It was an incredibly flat performance by Ian Evatt’s men and perhaps the occasion did indeed get to them. Promotion via the play-offs is often described as the best way to go up but can obviously be severely detrimental if missing out and suffering heartbreak.
Bolton will now have to avoid a certain play-off ‘hangover’ as they return to the third tier next season and it will be worth monitoring their start to the new campaign. League One looks to be wide open next term and they therefore must make a good start if they want to be in the fight for promotion again.
Having been in the top three for the majority of the season, and also spending a significant time in the automatic promotion spot, it comes as no surprise to see an upset fanbase having failed to meet their pre-season goal of promotion to the Championship.
Despite the final potentially being the worst of the lot, the Trotters would greatly struggle in big games this season, potentially pointing to an issue in the squad. Excluding the play-offs, Evatt’s side would win just two of their ten games against the rest of the top six. Failing to gain automatic promotion can also be attributed to just that and it is something that they simply must improve next term.
The players know that as well, with Wanderers defender Gethin Jones emphasising to The Bolton News, that the club have struggled in high pressure scenarios for some time.
“We said to each other after the game, I don’t know if it is a mentality issue, but I have been here now for four years and I can think of only a few times where we have really come up with a performance when the pressure was really on.
“Crawley, Papa Johns final last year (against Plymouth Argyle), Blackpool, Derby – they are the sort of games you need to win, but other than those it has been poor. And 100 per cent the criticism we have had is fair on that, we just haven’t come up to standard in the big games. Collectively, we have to be better than that, we can’t drop that many points and expect to get promotion.”
“The most important thing is that we look at ourselves and what more we can all do, it can’t be a case of pointing fingers and blaming each other. Every game you lose, people tend to point their finger at a certain player. And we do it as players as well, we’re no better.
“But to a man, not one of us played to our best (in the play-off final). Every one of us has more to give than that and, honestly, I don’t think any of us can tell you why we didn’t do it on the day.
“As for what changes, we will see what happens in the future.”
Writer’s View
The League One play-off final brought plenty of surprises and even more talking points, one of those being Bolton’s inability to rise to the occasion. It comes as no surprise to see some unrest in the fanbase having been favourites for promotion via the play-offs and they’ll be plenty of pressure on the players next term.
They won’t by any means have all their own way next season with it looking like a very strong third tier renewal and therefore recruitment needs to be spot on in the forthcoming window.
Natural leaders are no doubt needed to lift the squad over the line in big games and bringing in a couple of experienced heads this summer could significantly boost their promotion chances ahead of the new season.
