ZACH Clough feels Wanderers have now got relegation completely out of their system.

Fresh from his first two goals of the campaign the 21-year-old is confident the worst of the club’s problems have been consigned to the past under a new regime at the Macron Stadium.

Clough’s double to sink Oldham were his first goals since a free kick at Cardiff City in the Championship in April and proved enough to lift the Whites into third place.

Expectation levels were set low over the summer with Phil Parkinson’s principle aim being one of stability. But just as it did after the four-game winning streak in August, talk has once again built up the prospect of promotion.

“I think we’re better than quite a few teams down here, we’re able to keep possession more but the only difference to the Championship is that there are a few more quality players up there,” Clough told The Bolton News.

“Each and every player in this squad is motivated to go straight back up. That is my target for the year.

“It surprises me how quickly it has changed around here but credit has to go the manager. He’s been spot on since the first day he walked in.

“His man-to-man skills are superb – I think that’s his greatest quality. He wants you to express yourself in the final third.”

Clough’s season has been punctuated with injury problems but the young striker now feels ready to make up for lost time.

A contract extension is under discussion and the academy graduate is now determined to lead his club back towards the second tier.

“We’re committed to the cause,” he said. “We’ve only lost Rob Holding and a couple of others over the summer but I think the squad overall is stronger than it was last season.

“You look up front and there are six or seven options that the other teams don’t have. If I’m not scoring I know other people are capable of helping me out – I think that will happen now.

“And there are others like David Wheater and Mark Beevers who’ll chip in too.”

Clough’s first goal was a picture-book free kick from the edge of the box which brought the whole Macron to its feet in applause.

The striker admitted he may not have lived it down had he not scored after snatching the ball from skipper Jay Spearing.

“He got hold of the ball but I felt confident enough to take it off him and he wouldn’t stand in my way,” he said. “Thankfully I put it in the top corner.

“I spoke to Jay and he was thinking about reversing it but I felt like the keeper would stand still. There’s a lot of talk about keepers gambling now but I thought if I got it over the wall he wouldn’t have enough time to get across. I didn’t have to hit it hard.”

Wanderers go to Millwall tomorrow looking to string four wins in a row for the first time since 2013, when Dougie Freedman’s side surged up the table in search of a Championship play-off place.

“It’s a big game now and we go down there in the top six, which is where we want to be all year, if not higher,” Clough said. “We want another three points.”