Speaking to bwfc.co.uk following Wanderers’ opening day defeat to Leeds United, defender Andrew Taylor admitted that although the team were disappointed at the final whistle, there were plenty of positives to take from the clash.
The visitors took a two-goal lead inside the first half at Macron Stadium through Kalvin Phillips and Chris Wood, and although Gary Madine halved the deficit soon after, Phillips struck his second of the game just before half time to put the Yorkshire outfit in a commanding position.
Adam Le Fondre’s penalty kick 23 minutes from time ensured a grandstand finish, but it was ultimately just a consolation come full time as a valiant Bolton performance reaped no reward.
Despite the result not falling in the Whites’ favour however, Taylor believes that the game is one that will stand the team in good stead this term.
“It was a frustrating start to the season for us,” he said. “We would have liked to have come away with at least a point if not the victory, but it wasn’t to be.
“We’ve got to take the positives though – we showed great character to get back into the game twice. Obviously, if you look at the negatives and the goals we conceded, we know we can improve and keep moving forward.
“One of our biggest assets is our character as a group and we need to keep that for the season. It is a long campaign, as we’ve seen last year, and we need to all stick together through the good times and the bad times.
“You’ve seen today, the couple of injuries we’ve had, coupled with the ones we’ve had during the week, the lads who have come in and been a part of it have been fantastic and we’re going to need that for the season.”
He continued, “It was a welcome to the Championship encounter for us. We knew what to expect – they are a good time and we’ve done our homework on them this week.
“We got caught out a little bit in the first half and we’ll sit down and discuss why that was tomorrow.
“Second half though, we showed great character and it was just a shame that we couldn’t nick another goal.”
The game also saw a number of debuts for Wanderers as Josh Cullen, Reece Burke and Will Buckley all made their bows for the club, with Taylor praising them for their efforts.
“The debutants did a really good job – they’ve settled in well,” the defender commented. “The manager has put together a good squad. We’ve got competition and cover for places and that’s what you need in the Championship.
“It’s going to be a long, tough season and you’ll get injuries over the course of it like we have today, but that’s life and we’ll deal with it.”
Taylor also thanked the club’s fans for their backing throughout the game, with the 30-year-old disappointed not to be able to reward them for their support.
“The reaction from the fans was good to see, it really was. Of course, they don’t want to see us losing every week, but if they see a group of players that are committed and don’t give in, then they’ll get behind us.
“We won’t win every game, but as long as we show the hard work and the willingness to go out there and try our best to do so, hopefully they’ll stick with us.”