PHIL Parkinson reckons Ken Anderson’s midweek show of support proves Wanderers are on a firmer footing than their league position suggests.

Backed by the chairman win, lose or draw against Sheffield Wednesday this afternoon, and into the future, the Whites boss admits Anderson’s statement came at a useful time with his team bottom of the table.

The proverbial ‘vote of confidence’ has often been bad news for managers in the past but Parkinson feels it has taken some of the pressure off his players.

“I can’t be a bad thing to get support from the chairman,” he told The Bolton News. “Ken understands what we had to do last year to achieve what we did and the problems we’ve had throughout the summer. He also knows how hard everyone at the club, top to bottom, is working.

“There is a real togetherness among the players and the staff to get up and running and I’m confident we’ll get there. We’ll do everything we can to put a few smiles on people’s faces by Saturday evening.”

Although Anderson’s words have dampened down any speculation over Parkinson’s future, they have not made his desire to get the club out of the bottom three any less urgent.

“Uncertainty is never a good thing,” he said. “Ken has come out and said what he said and it’s helpful for me, the staff and the players.

“We’ve just got to continue doing what we have done, fighting for each other, working hard and being as thorough as we can.

“I do believe the team is getting better, the team is getting stronger. The squad we envisaged at the start is now in place. Now we have got to reproduce results.”