Manager's Brighton Reaction

"When you have characters in the dressing room that keep on going it is never over," says Freedman

Dougie Freedman says his side showed character and determination to snatch a late point against Brighton at the Amex, as the Bolton boss extended his unbeaten run to five games.

David Ngog’s injury-time strike cancelled out Bruno Saltor’s second-half goal, after Adam Bogdan had earlier saved Ashley Barnes’ 13th-minute penalty.

Speaking in his post-match press conference, Freedman said: “I am not going to say that it was a fantastic performance by us. I am not even going to say that we deserve a draw – we underperformed. But, when you have characters in the dressing room that keep on going, it is never over.

“I have seen Brighton many times and that is the best I have ever seen them play.

“They will be disappointed not to have taken the points, but then that is down to us and our desire to compete and get a goal.

“It was a wonderful performance by them, but we dug in, had a never-say-die attitude and were backed by the 1,200 fans who made the long journey. We kept going and showed great mental strength.

“We are unbeaten in five now, but I have come here to win football matches and take us forward. I know the quality that we have in the dressing room, but today showed me that we have character and determination and that we don’t give up.

“We have a good group who want to do well for each other and the club. We will stick together and keep on going. Sure, there will be a few knocks along the way, ups and downs, but I am here to make them play better. We know what we want to achieve.

“It’s a quick turn around for our next game away at Blackburn. It's another derby match and I am looking forward to that. We will have more than 2,000 fans backing us there and I really appreciate the support that we’re getting on our travels.”
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