Cahill praises Reebok spirit (From The Bolton News)

Cahill praises Reebok spirit

9:01am Tuesday 6th May 2008 in

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GARY Cahill put the case for the defence last night as Wanderers prepared to turn Sunday's Stamford Bridge swansong into a survival celebration.

The young centre-back believes strength of character and the enforcement of Gary Megson's back-to-basics philosophy are behind the Great Escape.

Relegation favourites a month ago, Wanderers go to Chelsea on Sunday all-but safe, and Cahill says the entire squad and the management team deserve credit for responding so impressively in the face of adversity after the 4-0 defeat at Aston Villa.

"Four weeks ago it was a very sticky patch, especially coming back from that result at Villa," he said.

"But you've seen the character of the lads when the pressure was on - and there really is a lot of pressure on when you're in the bottom three and things are looking very, very bleak.

"Some people don't realise the pressure the lads are under, especially when you're where we are, but we've tried to keep our spirits high and it's not been that hard coming into training.

"Nevertheless, turning it round and getting three wins and a draw - a crucial draw - at Tottenham, has been a fantastic response.

"The manager, the staff and the players have to take all the credit for that. We needed the big players to come to the front and that's what we've done."

See the full story in Tuesday's The Bolton News