TWICE in the last week, Phil Parkinson has been moved to ask people to ‘forgive and forget’.

As injuries and suspensions bite into a relatively small squad, the Wanderers boss has had to draw from every available resource, however popular.

“He only has to put one ball away and you can feel the reaction but just give him a chance,” pleaded an increasingly-vexed manager of Dean Moxey, who came off the bench against Rochdale to replace Andy Taylor.

But is the manager being unrealistic to expect supporters to welcome Liam Trotter, Dorian Dervite and Moxey back with open arms?

Parkinson has to work in black and white. He offered a blank canvass to every player in his squad in the summer and with the ongoing restrictions of the embargo, cannot afford to hold grudges. He places a lot of emphasis on the intensity and quality of a player’s training, making his selections for a weekend only after careful consultation with his coaching and medical staff – Steve Parkin, Lee Butler, Matt Barrass and Nick Allamby.

And with that in mind, he has been happy to bring Moxey and Trotter back into his starting line-up over the last couple of weeks, and name Dervite on the bench.

Of course, Parkinson is aware of his players’ back-stories. He can sense the audible difference in crowd reaction to a mistake from a player who is perceived as ‘popular’ compared with one who is not.

Every so often, you get a flashpoint. Trotter’s came at Coventry City when travelling fans cheered sarcastically when he was substituted. Moxey also suffered when he played a minor role in MK Dons’ equaliser a fortnight ago.

An error from any of the three players mentioned provokes a Pavlovian response, but why is this so deep-rooted?

There are obvious factors which make the reconciliation Parkinson requested difficult. The first is last season’s dismal relegation – although a handful of players now being cheered on a weekly basis were just as complicit in that failure.

The second is an association with former Wanderers boss Dougie Freedman. The Scot signed all three, and his huge unpopularity by the end of his spell in charge of the club clearly spilled over to the players he had favoured.

The third is that the three players named above have not exactly covered themselves in glory since signing for Bolton.

True, they all arrived at a particularly low point in the club’s history. And there have been some extenuating circumstances – Trotter has had a few injuries when his form picked up, Dervite denied any chance this season because of Mark Beevers and David Wheater’s grasp on the centre-back slots. Moxey suffered a similar fate when Andy Taylor signed from Wigan.

But there is no getting around the fact that consistency has been an issue for all three in their time at Wanderers. Results have had a significant impact on how the fans view them.

The final factor which seems to be thrown up in the many online debates this week is the size of the players’ salary. It seems a tad unfair, in this reporter’s view, to use a contract offered by a previous chairman as a stick to beat someone with – but nevertheless there are those who disagree.

Getting the backing of football fans is not an easy thing to explain. Parkinson may find out it is even more difficult to manufacture.

But what is the alternative? Wanderers go into the final few months of the season with a realistic shot of promotion to the Championship, possibly even as champions. For a sense of perspective – how many title-winning teams can the club boast in its long history?

Over the next two games, at Bradford and Sheffield United, it is likely Moxey, Trotter and perhaps Dervite will be called upon.

If this isn’t the perfect time for a ceasefire, I don’t know what is…