FUMING after his side’s latest defeat, Phil Parkinson was in no mood to excuse Wanderers’ defensive frailties.

Bolton were soundly thrashed at Wigan in a game played against the backdrop of an abandoned takeover bid and ending with scenes of violence as visiting fans clashed with police, and the manager admitted his team’s weak showing left themselves with little chance of success.

“It wasn’t good enough, defensively we were too weak,” he said following the 5-2 defeat that leaves Bolton with eight points and a significant goal-difference handicap to make up. “We were found wanting right from the first free kick we gave away and let them have a free header in front of goal. We had a couple of decent chances in the first half. The second goal was poor and came from weak defending, the third one was comical and after we took two opportunities and did score we conceded quickly after.

“If you can’t deal with their front players, whether it’s in one-v-one situations or physically in aerial battles, you’re not going to give yourself a chance to get anything out of the game.

“As a manager, I’ll take the flak firmly on the chin, but some of the individual performances weren’t good enough today.

“I feel for the supporters today because it’s a local derby with a lot of pride at stake. Some of the performances were okay but some of the performances weren’t up to the level required to win a game of football.”

As Wanderers head into another crucial week – a hearing for an HMRC winding-up order takes place on Wednesday – Parkinson could at least count on some sympathy from Paul Cook, whose Latics ended their seven-game winless run.

“I must pat Phil Parkinson and his staff on the back,” said Cook. “It’s so difficult, going through what they’ve been going through. Week in, week out, it seems to be the same stuff going round, the same cycle, and it must be so tough to try and manage that.

“While it’s a great night for us, a little bit of feeling has to go to Phil and his staff.”