PHIL Parkinson insists under-fire loanees Reece Burke and Josh Cullen will come good for Wanderers.

The Whites boss leapt to the defence of the young West Ham United stars, who have endured a tough start to life at the Macron Stadium

Bolton fans had high hopes for the Hammers academy graduates when they arrived in the summer but they have been caught in the cross-fire of the club’s poor start, with one fans’ website even called for them to be sent back to their parent club.

Burke and Cullen, both 21, sat out Tuesday night’s defeat at Bristol City as Parkinson plumped for his most experienced available line-up.

But the manager is convinced the two players need to be helped along in a rocky patch of form by the squad’s senior heads.

“With Josh and Reece I almost feel they are trying too hard, they are absolutely desperate to get the win,” he told The Bolton News.

“They really, really want to do well for Bolton Wanderers but it’s almost working against them at the moment.

“Reece has made a couple of decision-making errors I have never seen him do before, and it’s just that bit of pressure, Josh is the same but we have been asking him to do a man’s job and covering a lot of ground in the centre of the midfield. At times he hasn’t had much help.

“Josh needs a Karl Henry to boss him around and tell him where he should be, rather than a young man having to take that all on himself.”

Parkinson could bring a rested Burke, Cullen and Adam Armstrong back into the reckoning at Villa Park, buoyed by the performance, if not the result, at Bristol in midweek.

The Whites boss has also come in for criticism from sections of the support in recent weeks but he is appealing for fans to keep faith at Villa Park.

“It’s small steps in terms of where we were last weekend against Brentford,” he said. “But we have to take heart going to Villa Park. We know we have got to get results, we completely understand.

“Supporters will always feel down when their team has been beaten but you want to be in my shoes, I promise, I feel it just as badly.

“When the lads stay strong as they did against Bristol City it gives me heart. I believed all along that we would get results; it hasn’t happened yet but I am confident it will.

“We have got good character in the group.”