DARREN Pratley doesn’t often get to be the bearer of good tidings but that could be about to change as the hard-working midfielder continues to reinvent himself under Neil Lennon.

There haven’t been too many moments to savour for the Londoner since he arrived at the club two-and-a-half years ago.

A continual stream of bad news: Relegation, Championship struggle and his personal battle to earn a regular first team spot under three successive managers have meant Pratley is more often the man turned to by the club to explain away a poor run of form, or a difficult defeat.

On the pitch, Pratley has also had his work cut out winning over the fans and proving his could be just as influential for Bolton as he was at Swansea in this division not so long ago.

Now, it appears his graft is paying off. Pratley, like the team, has enjoyed an upturn of form since Lennon walked through the doors and is now able to speak in glowing terms about a good run of results – just for a change.

“It’s about time,” he said, shortly after Wanderers had edged past Huddersfield Town at the Macron last weekend to register a fourth consecutive home win.

“Things do feel different here. But then we were rock bottom before the new staff came in so I suppose anything is an improvement on that.

“Confidence has started to come back but I don’t think it’s fully there yet. It is coming back week by week.

“I just felt from the start of the season when we slipped down to the bottom of the table that we had forgotten how to win. We couldn’t change it.

“But now we’re playing the best football since I have been at the club, and that includes the Premier League as well.”

Wanderers go to Reading today looking to make more ground up on mid-table. Pratley is one of seven players likely to start the game involved in January’s depressing 7-1 defeat.

Another, conspicuous by his absence in recent weeks, has been skipper Jay Spearing but Pratley says his fellow midfielder is still making his presence felt behind the scenes.

“The skipper hasn’t played the last few games but he’s been brilliant,” he said.

“Me and Dannsy have been playing in his position but he’s been coming up to us and giving us a few pointers on what to do. That tells you the character of Spearing, “if someone is in your position it’s easy to give them the cold shoulder and pray they don’t do well.

“But even if he does think that, he’s making sure he gives us a boost by coming and patting us on the back, wishing us well.

“That players like him, Liam Trotter, Medo, aren’t involved at the moment tells you the strength of squad we have got. We’re all pushing each other on.”

Wanderers have strung together their best sequence of results for eight months, when a post-January surge came far too late to make an impression on the play-offs.

Lennon’s message to his dressing room last weekend was for players to keep their eye on the Reading game and not to start looking at the table or fixture lists – something which has been suggested may have contributed to past failures.

“It’s not as if we have run out and started drinking Champagne in the past,” Pratley said. “But if you start talking about things which are too far ahead then you’ll lose focus, and that can kick you right where it hurts.

“I don’t know how many points we are off the play-offs. Of course it’s possible – but you won’t see us getting carried away. The manager wouldn’t allow it.”