BOLTON are looking for consistency and their gameplan to click as they target promotion within two seasons.

The Avenue Street men resume after the festive break on Saturday sixth in North Lancs and Cumbria Division but just five points off second place.

They will be favourites to begin the new year with a victory at home to third-bottom Upper Eden at home in their first game for three weeks.

It was a successful 2016 for the club who finished last season in second position and have produced a number of good performances this term including a 94-0 demolition of Workington and a 73-0 triumph over Silloth.

David Crouch has come in as head coach with his son Mike helping him, and captain Rhys Pritchard believes the new regime has been key to the team’s success which they hope will result in promotion if not this season then the one after.

“Dave and Mike have changed things around,” said Pritchard. “We’ve got a bit more structure to our training and we have a game plan we’re trying to implement when we come to play on Saturdays.

“When we stick to it, it works well and we’ve had the results to prove that, but when we stray away from it, that’s when it starts to fall through and we end up losing.”

Crouch Snr echoed those views.

“I think up to Christmas or the end of the year we performed very well in places, but we need to be more consistent in what we do and I think that consistency will come in time,” he said.

“We need to have more self belief and I think that will come when everyone gets into the game plan we’re trying to play.”

Carlisle go into the new year runaway leaders 14 points clear of the rest, so realistically second is the highest Bolton can achieve.

Pritchard said: “We’ve got a two-year plan and we’re just going to see if we can finish as high as possible and if we can get into the play-offs it would be a massive bonus.

“But realistically we are looking to get our game plan right, get our squad stronger and go for it the year after.”

Bolton expect injured duo Will Bate and Chris Mee to return and, along with new signings Nick Duncan and Sam Fogg, the team has a strong look to it going into the New Year.