Manager expects his players to continue to improve following away win at Birmingham
Neil Lennon says his Bolton Wanderers side will only get better following his first game in the manager’s hotseat.
The recently-appointed Northern Irishman led Bolton for the first time during the weekend’s 1-0 away victory against Birmingham City at St Andrew’s.
Vice captain Matt Mills headed the only goal of the game from a Jay Spearing corner, with the manager saying after he had seen plenty of reason for encouragement.
“We put in a magnificent performance and I felt we should have won the game by more than we did,” Lennon said after the match.
“We know we need to show a little bit more care in the final third at times, but as a team we fought for one another.
“Our goalkeeper was outstanding and we stood up well in defence. With a little bit more care when on the ball we would have been a bit more comfortable towards the end of the game. I felt we should have picked Birmingham off in the second half.
“I felt the goalkeeper, back four and two midfielders gave us a fantastic base to press forward.
“We were a little bit anxious in the final third, but it’s an important win, there’s no doubting that.
“Our appetite to get the ball back and win 50-50s was brilliant. At 1-0 we were always wary of Birmingham because they carried a real threat.
“I’m also pleased for the chairman and the owner. It has been a bit of difficult time for the club over the last few weeks but they deserve that win.”
There was an eventful end to the game, which saw Lennon sent to the stands by the referee for persistent encroachment of his technical area.
He added: “It was a little bit of over exuberance on my part. I tried to get a message to on to the players before the penalty was taken and that clearly didn’t work.
“I had been warned about encroachment of my technical area, but I still feel it was a little bit harsh to be sent to the stands. We will certainly appeal it.
“We’ve now got a big game on Tuesday at Charlton. We’re looking forward to it and want to continue to improve because we know this bunch can perform better.”