IF Wanderers’ fans are indeed the most pessimistic in the Championship, the mood of despondency has certainly not spread to the dressing room.

A pre-season survey reckoned expectations were lower at the Macron Stadium than anywhere else in the division – but those clouds were lifted temporarily with a gutsy draw against title-favourites Derby County last weekend.

Defeat in midweek against League One Burton was a king-sized reality check for some, but not a result that has shaken the confidence of the players.

At least that’s the view of Neil Danns, one of Neil Lennon’s most senior lieutenants and a man whose defensive instincts are likely to be called upon in tomorrow’s tricky-looking trip to Middlesbrough.

Unperturbed by the midweek result, Danns believes Wanderers can do what they did against Derby, and prove the bookies wrong against a side that could potentially still be suffering from a play-off final defeat hangover.

“People can say what they want, write us off, it doesn’t matter,” he told The Bolton News. “A lot of people had us as massive underdogs against Derby and we proved them wrong. They’ll do it again on Saturday and I don’t see why we can’t prove them wrong again.

“Yes, they’re one of the favourites for the Championship but they will be looking at us and knowing we’ll give them a tough game.

“We think we’re playing good football, so whether it’s that or them having a hangover from last season, I think we have a good chance of beating them if we can replicate the performance against Derby.

“You see teams around us spending millions and we’re going into a lot of games now as underdogs. A lot of people probably don’t have faith or optimism but as players, we need to give them a reason to change their minds and think differently.”

One of the plus points in midweek was the return to duties for Mark Davies, who wore the skipper’s armband on his first start of the season.

With Darren Pratley missing for another month, Danns believes it is crucial to keep Davies motoring in midfield.

“He’s a top quality player and if we can keep him fit then it benefits us massively,” he said. “Prats has gone out, which is a big loss for us, but Sparky knows the score, he’s come in and fits in right away.

“He’s a big weapon to have in there because he makes things happen, he can get you a goal, it’s good to have him back.”

But while Danns has shrugged off any lasting damage done by the Burton defeat on Tuesday night, he sees no advantage to exiting the Capital One Cup at the first round stage.

“Some people might say it’s a blessing in disguise because we won’t have that extra midweek game, but not me. I wanted to go through.

“We all want the games at this stage of the season and we all wanted to progress.

“It was a massive kick in the teeth, the result, but we will take a lot from the performance and the chances we created.”