PARKINSON: WE CAN HUNT DOWN LIONS
DEFIANT Bolton boss Phil Parkinson watched his side put a troubled week behind them to beat relegation rivals Millwall and declared: “Don’t write us off.”
Second-half goals from Polish right-back Pawel Olkowski and veteran midfielder Gary O’Neil ensured Lee Gregory’s 87th-minute strike was only consolation for the FA Cup quarter-finalists.
“We are back in it,” said Parkinson, despite a five-point gap to fourth-bottom Millwall.
“People know not to write us off because we have got a spirit in the camp running all through the staff and players and we showed that today.”
Parkinson – serving the first of a two-game touchline ban – and his players are still to be paid their February wages with a protracted takeover in the process.
However, Parkinson added: “There is positive news filtering about the place and I could feel there was a lift in the stadium because of that.
“The players have gone through a lot this week and so has the club. But we spoke about how we could put it behind us.
“Millwall are a team that we have got to target to bring back into the relegation battle. The only way we could do that was to beat them.
“We stuck to our job, concentrated for 99 per cent of the game and deserved the win.”
O’Neil’s superb solo goal after 60 minutes proved to be the difference. Freed by Joe Williams’ pass, the midfielder charged forward from half way, and checked his run inside the area before angling a right-foot effort in to the bottom corner of Jordan Archer’s net.
“Gaz is top class and belies his age,” said Parkinson. “Physically, every match, his stats are up there. But it’s the moments of quality which he brings to the party. And that was a fantastic individual goal.”
Callum Connolly picked out Olkowski three minutes after the restart and the Polish fullback cut the ball back on to his left foot and fired into the bottom corner to open the scoring.
But a late Millwall comeback looked on when Gregory flicked in his eighth Championship goal of the season. Tom Elliott also headed on to the roof of the net, but Bolton held on.
Lions boss Neil Harris described the fourth successive defeat as “poor”.
“It was one I didn’t expect,” added Harris, who insists Championship survival and not a potential semi-final trip to Wembley remains the priority.
“The cup game (against Brighton) at The Den will be a good occasion and exciting for the fans,” he said. “Our priority though is the league and all I am focusing on is Birmingham away on Wednesday. It is a huge game after four defeats in a row.
“The first half was scrappy but I spoke at half-time about still doing the nitty-gritty stuff while adding the quality lacking in the first half.
“But the goals we gave away were poor one-v-one defending when the players didn’t do enough. That’s not acceptable.
“People had jobs to do and Gary O’Neil, who isn’t a spring chicken any more, ran virtually from his own box to the other end of the pitch and score. We had three players behind the ball before he gets his shot away.”