PHIL Parkinson is convinced Wanderers can claim West Brom’s scalp for the second time this season.

Despite playing the familiar role of underdog when West Brom visit the University of Bolton Stadium on Monday, the Bolton boss insists his side should not be written off in front of the TV cameras.

Much of the talk has focussed on what might happen off the pitch, with planned fan-protests still somewhat of an unknown quantity on the night.

But Parkinson says his players – who shocked the Baggies with a victory at the Hawthorns back in August – are capable of grabbing some headlines of their own.

“We’ve shown when we beat Derby here that we can compete with the best teams, but to compete against and beat the best teams everything had got to be right, the training, the organisation, everything we do, the performance levels of individuals have got to be spot-on. I believe when we do that we can get results against the top teams,” he said.

Parkinson’s side has won just one of the last 16 games, form which has magnified the unease around the club’s financial situation.

He denies he is in the ‘impossible job’ and hopes a win against the odds on Monday can show fans that survival in the Championship is still possible.

“The second half of the season will be equally as hard as the year before, we know we’re up against it in every game but that’s what we’re in this business for and we’ve got to do everything we can to give it our best shot,” he said.

“It’s my job to put smiles on the fans’ faces and everybody knows we are focused. I heard Rafa Benitez saying what a miracle it would be to keep Newcastle up and I chuckled to myself when I read that, looking at the situation we’re in.”

Wanderers are hoping a registration embargo imposed by the EFL will be lifted before the end of this week, allowing Parkinson to trade more freely in the transfer market.

The club has also confirmed that veteran Lloyd Dyer – who had been announced by the official website in September as having signed a “short-term deal” – is actually contracted to the end of this season.