Steven Schumacher is confident that Wanderers fans will be out in force for Saturday night’s play-off opener against Bradford City.
There were no signs of nerves or apprehension at the club yesterday as the Bolton boss spoke to the press ahead of the first leg. Hopes are high that a crowd of 25,000 or more could flood through the gates.
Schumacher has kept routines exactly the same as they would be for a regular league game and has phoned around some of his friends in the game for tips on how to handle the build-up to his first play-off campaign in the dugout.
Schumacher Thanks Fans, Dismisses Favourites Tag
Speaking to The Bolton News, the head coach has no concerns about the atmosphere that will be generated for the game. He thanked fans for their unwavering backing so far this season.
“They can be a big help,” he said of League One’s highest average crowd, and the biggest gates Bolton have enjoyed since the Premier League days.
“We know there will be moments over the two legs where it won’t go our way, and in those moments it will be important that everyone sticks together.
“The fans are at the forefront of that – but they have been excellent, and I thought they were excellent at the weekend against Luton. We were pushing to get a winner and, unfortunately, we conceded one later on.
“But their support was right there, all the way through. I think the fans in general have appreciated how we’ve played this year.
“We want to reward that now and go that next step.”
Wanderers have been installed as favourites for promotion by the bookmakers – a tag that has already been questioned within the Bradford camp, via ex-Whites skipper Antoni Sarcevic.
Asked for his thoughts, Schumacher said: “I don’t really care.
“Bradford finished above us in the league. We can’t go in there thinking we’re either favourites or outsiders. It was close in the league, it was a couple of points in the end.
Recent Valley Parade Meeting Proved Useful
“We’ve played them three times this year. We know that all three games have been hard-fought, close games. And we expect nothing different for the next two.”
The most recent meeting at Valley Parade a couple of weeks ago proved to be perfect preparation, with both sides playing well in a 1-1 draw in front of a big crowd at Valley Parade.
Schumacher believes both sides will benefit from having played each other so recently.
“I think it helps us, certainly for the away game,” he said.
“Valley Parade that day was full. It was their final home game of the season. It was the Fire memorial and service, so the atmosphere was emotional and it was intense.
“It gave us really good knowledge of what to expect when we go there next time.
“But we play in front of a big crowd here every week, or every other week.
“On Saturday at eight o’clock there’s hopefully going to be over 25,000 in the building.
“The atmosphere in here will be excellent. We have to try and get the energy levels right to increase the atmosphere if we can.
“I think we’re focused on the job at hand. We know areas of the game that we’v