Phil Parkinson urging focus ahead of Bolton Wanderers' match against Port Vale

Wanderers go into the game against Port Vale on the back of five straight wins, with League One’s best defensive record after five straight clean sheets.

Port Vale have faltered in the last couple of weeks after an excellent start and have won just once so far in October.

But Parkinson believes his side can build on Monday night’s derby win at Bury, especially with the news Jay Spearing has suffered no major after-effects from the hip injury he picked up late in the game at Gigg Lane.

“Good teams back up their results,” he told The Bolton News. “They don’t sit back and admire the last one. They go again.

“There is a determination about the lads at the moment, a confidence, but that cannot be allowed to become complacency.

“We’ve got another top six side in Port Vale at the weekend and anything less than the work-rate the lads are showing at the minute won’t be good enough to win the game.

“The lads were out on their feet at the final whistle at Bury and that’s the way it has to be. Success is never easy.”

Parkinson believes part of his side’s transformation this month has been down to a consistency of selection.

“Being able to pick the same team is really helping us,” he said. “we have got partnerships cropping up around the pitch and I think Lawrie Wilson and Sammy down the right are linking up well, so there’s a bit more understanding now.

“You can try to work on that in training but it’s never anything like a match situation.”

There had been some concern about Spearing’s condition at the end of Tuesday night’s game after a heavy challenge left him with a bruised hip.

Parkinson admits he could not have dragged his skipper off the pitch, even if he had wanted to.

“There was no way he was coming off,” he said. “There was no way I was taking him off. He was excellent again, especially in the second half. In the frantic derby game he had that touch of quality to slow the game down.”