THE prospect of future EFL points deductions is being kept on the backburner by Keith Hill – but the Wanderers boss reckons extra punishment from the powers that be would be “harsh”.

An independent disciplinary panel will decide what penalties will be imposed on Bolton for last season’s cancelled Brentford game and the postponed League One match against Doncaster Rovers in August.

The EFL has thus far declined to confirm when the panel will meet, leaving a cloud hanging over the club and Hill’s efforts to rebuild.

Wanderers moved on to minus five points with victory against Bristol Rovers on Tuesday night and go to Lincoln City tomorrow looking to put back-to-back wins together for the first time in 14 months.

Hill suspects there will be extra points taken from the tally – but can’t waste time thinking about it.

“It is something out of my jurisdiction – I can’t pay too much attention to it because it’s a side-show at this moment in time,” he told The Bolton News. “It’s potentially a red flag but I have got to concentrate on what I am dealing with now, and that’s minus five going into the Lincoln game.

“We’ll only know when the EFL decide to make judgements. I still believe, personally, that any judgement on the current football club would be harsh.

“Without getting political, the people responsible for the postponements are probably no longer at this football club and it won’t affect them but it does affect the long-term and right-here-right-now future of this football club.

“Irrespective of EFL regulations, I think it would be very unfair to punish the current club and the future we’re creating but it seems to be that potentially it’s what might happen.”

Getting into “positive points” is Hill’s short term aim for Wanderers – and could, with a fair wind – be just a fortnight away.

“Without going into too much detail when we first took over the first hurdle we were trying to get over was to get to positive points as quickly as possible, with as many games as possible remaining – and it’s a big ask.

“We are within touching distance but it’s an achievable goal. That is a short-term aim which gives us the prospect of attacking the rest of the league teams from a positive position.

“That is our intention and it has to materialise with positive performances, games won.”