HIS team have all the tools necessary to play their way out of the current slump in form, they just need to make better decisions.

That is the view of Keith Hill as his Wanderers side bid to arrest the slide against fellow strugglers Southend United today.

Little more than a month ago, things were looking decidedly rosy on the field for Bolton who, having got their first victory of the season at Bristol Rovers, then saw off Manchester City’s youngsters, Fleetwood and MK Dons though there was a blip in the FA Cup against Plymouth.

His side also led at Accrington Stanley before things went horribly wrong very quickly.

A 7-1 defeat at the Wham Stadium started the rot and his team have endured two defeats and a draw since. And, ahead of a bottom-two clash against Sol Campbell’s Shrimpers at the University of Bolton Stadium, Hill will not be looking for any ‘magic’ solution.

“When we reflect on the Peterborough game the key individual errors have cost us,” he said. “It wasn’t a tight game, it was a game we could have got something out of, we need to be in a position more – especially away from home – where we make better individual footballing decisions out of possession then we get something from games like that.

“On matchday it’s over to the players, we can’t protect them from the pressures of needing and wanting to win.

“That’s where the players have to show confidence and competence in execution of making good football decisions and a game will always come down to this – the better team predominantly will win football matches if they were to play each other 10 times. But it’s important when you play against better opposition, or any opposition, that you have the courage to make good footballing decisions.

“Unfortunately when you start making bad decisions you tend to make more before it gets better.

“So it’s important that players – and I can do it quite easily – clear their head from one week to the next.”

Not that the Wanderers boss is keen to lambast a group of players who, though hastily-assembled on a shoestring and with the club under an EFL embargo, have rarely let him down, that wretched day at the Wham Stadium aside.

And, in order to get the best out of his squad, the vastly-experienced Hill is cultivating a culture of forgiveness at the UniBol.

“As a manager one of things you have to be is very forgiving of yourself and of the players,” he added. “You want to try to build continuity and stability for the players in the environment and feel comfortable going into matches.

“That’s what we’re trying to promote at the club, it can’t happen with the depth of the squad we’ve got and the injuries that we’re sustaining and that we’ve had.

“We’ll make it better, there’s no question about that, but we’ll have to be patient with the players, with ourselves because we can’t get angry or aggressive with the group of players who are doing everything they possibly can.

“We can’t get angry at the situation that we’re in, we’ve got to embrace it, love the job that we do and try to improve the players on those key components, not tactical.

“The key components of any match is players’ decisions when they’re out on the park.

“And when players make mistakes first and foremost they know they’ve made mistakes. Then they’re reminded of the mistakes by the players on the pitch, their team-mates. They don’t want a constant reminder from me and the supporters, they must be able to move on, try and forget it quickly so they can make better decisions.

“If they’re constantly reminded of the decisions they’re making they’ll make more bad decisions.

“So we need to stop that trend and start giving the players the confidence and the breathing space they need, take away the pressures from the almost-impossible task and just play football, enjoy playing football, enjoy making footballing decisions in and out of possession.

“Then we’ll get the product that we want.”