DARREN Pratley is positive Owen Coyle and the Wanderers dressing room have enough stomach to win their fight against relegation.

Though the 2-0 defeat at Manchester City was the Whites’ fourth on the bounce in the league, they remain within two points of safety heading into a run of games that Pratley believes will finally see the club climb clear of danger.

Encounters with immediate rivals QPR, Blackburn and Wolves lie in wait before the end of the month, not to mention an FA Cup quarter-final date at Spurs.

And that is where the midfielder reckons the Whites will finally come into their own.

“The dressing room is strong,” he said. “We’re second bottom of the league and yet we've gone to City and grumbled because we didn’t get anything. Most people on their coupon would have had us getting beat 6-0 or 7-0 or something stupid like that.

“We don’t buy into that. The manager has got us focused and he gives us so much belief. Hopefully we can repay him, and the fans, too, because they have given us good support. The only way we can do that is by staying in the best league in the world.

“We’ve got 11 cup finals and there are five teams playing for two spots now. We’re not kidding ourselves, we know that.

“But we can go back now, train hard all week and look to get three points at the Reebok on Saturday.”

Wanderers set up to contain against City, putting defender Tim Ream in front of a back four, and hit on the break. And while the league leaders did nudge ahead through a fortuitous Gretar Steinsson own goal, Pratley thinks the approach worked, even though Mario Balotelli’s 68th-minute strike ended any realistic hopes of a comeback.

“I know we’re down there at the bottom of the league but we definitely didn’t come here expecting to lose,” he said. “We wanted something from the game.

“I know they could have scored a couple early on but when they did take the lead, I thought the goal was a bit lucky. The second was a bit of skill from Adam Johnson.

“I thought we were in the game for a long time.”

Pratley was recalled to the side against Chelsea as a result of Mark Davies’s hamstring injury but kept his place in midfield ahead of Fabrice Muamba as a reward for his hard work at Stamford Bridge.

The former Swansea star covered more than 12 kilometres against Chelsea and matched that at the Etihad – and he is keen to repay his manager’s faith if he gets the nod again next weekend against QPR.

“It’s been a bit off and on, but playing football is what I’m paid to do,” he said of his inconsistent selection so far this season.

“The manager picks the team and obviously I’m a bit upset when I’m not in the team but I believe in the manager, I trust him, and he picks teams to win football matches.

“I’ve played the last couple and we haven’t won but he has shown belief in me. It’s what the manager has gone with and it’s a team game. Bolton being in the Premier League is the only thing that matters at the minute.”