TEN games remain in Wanderers’ season, a run-in which starts this afternoon at Sheffield Wednesday.

And the feelgood factor at the club was restored somewhat after the midweek draw at Reading, a point gained that kept the Whites five points clear of the bottom three.

In danger of being cast adrift in the first few months of the campaign, Wanderers sit 19th and know their fate rests in their hands.

That self-reliance is something they, and their supporters, would surely have snatched with both hands had it been offered when summer was giving way to autumn and Wanderers’ search for a first league win had stretched to 11 games.

A remarkable recovery since then means Phil Parkinson can focus on their own games without distractions from around the other grounds.

“It’s good that it’s in our own hands and we’re not relying on other results,” he told The Bolton News. “I don’t really like having to look at the results when we come in, it’s more important to take care of the situation ourselves.

“But like this time last year, when we were near the top of the table, inevitably you do start looking at everyone else’s fixtures. We’ll be focusing purely on what we need to do today, in terms of their system and the environment of Hillsborough.”

Wanderers have faced Wednesday twice already this season, coming out on top both times when the Yorkshire side had present manager Jos Luhukay’s predecessor, Carlos Carvalhal, at the helm.

The free-falling Owls have lost each of the last five matches and a sixth today would see Wanderers climb above their hosts in the Championship table.

And four points from games at the teams finishing third and fourth last season – however drastically both have slumped this time around – would be a huge boost for Wanderers psychologically, as well as in terms of points gained.

“There were plenty of positives from midweek [at Reading], it was a good point for us,” added Parkinson. “It could have been three, but we’ll go to Sheffield Wednesday in better spirits than when we went to Reading and if we get the three points we’ll go above them – that’s a great incentive to go to Hillsborough with.

“It shows you the competitive nature of the division, that two teams who were close to getting into the Premier League now find themselves in the relegation battle. I should imagine Sheffield Wednesday thought they were out of it but they’ll definitely be looking over their shoulders now.”