JOSH Sheehan reckons Wanderers’ midfield mob must take a bigger slice of the blame for recent goalscoring problems.

The Welshman believes the quality of opportunities provided for attacking players like Eoin Doyle, Amadou Bakayoko and Dapo Afolayan have deteriorated in the last couple of games.

Ian Evatt’s men have actually failed to score in seven out of their last 10 and though the finger of blame has been aimed at the strikers for most of that period, Sheehan feels there should be a collective responsibility to improve.

“For me, we need to create better chances for the forward players. They are getting half-chances and moments but the midfielders need to do more for the likes of Doyler and Baka,” he told The Bolton News.

“We haven’t had enough clear-cut opportunities for the players who can put them away and whether that is down to midfielders, forwards, it doesn’t matter. That is our job and if they miss them, it is down to them. We need to create more, I feel.”

Wanderers have now drawn three successive blanks against Sheffield Wednesday, Wigan Athletic and Plymouth Argyle, dropping to 11th spot in the table.

Getting the first goal has been an issue for the whole of the season so far, with Bolton and Shrewsbury boasting the lowest percentage (14.3) of games in which they have opened the scoring.

Evatt’s side has recovered a whopping 11 points from losing positions – a total bettered only by MK Dons (13) and AFC Wimbledon (14) but Sheehan would like to see Wanderers attempt to do it the ‘easier way’.

“You know against the top teams in this league that they are clinical,” he said. “You saw against Sheffield Wednesday, the boys played well, they had two shots on goal and one went in. We had a few more chances and didn’t score.

“So, if we do everything that we have set out to do then we are confident that chances will come for our strikers and midfielders, and we can get ahead. We have got good players so I am sure those chances will be converted in the end.

“We know we haven’t turned into a bad team overnight. At the start of the season people were talking well about us but after the last couple of games you can’t expect people to be saying nice things, you just have to get on with it. We have to start Saturday.”

Few teams in League One will relish the chance to face Wanderers in a vulnerable moment than Gillingham.

If the Whites are feeling delicate, then Sheehan knows Steve Evans’ combative and physical side are unlikely to feel sympathy.

“We need to go into the weekend with some confidence, believe in ourselves, show what we did at the start of the season,” he said.

“It has been a tough week but it comes down to backing each other, matching the other team, and then our ability will come through.

“We will know exactly how they play, exactly what they do, and we have to combat it.

“But we have our own game to play as well, and we need to make sure we impose it.”

Before coming back into the side last weekend against Wigan, Sheehan had missed the previous three league games for Wanderers, due in the main to Kieran Lee’s impressive run of form.

He has had similar frustrations with Wales, where heavy competition for midfield places has limited his involvement.

But the former Newport County man can see a bigger picture and hopes to hold on to his first team berth against Gillingham this weekend.

“We have a competitive squad. Everyone who misses out, on the bench, not in the squad, they are frustrated but that is a good thing – everyone wants to prove themselves and show why they should be in there,” he said.

“It has been frustrating in that time but when you get that chance then you have to take the opportunity and show why you should be playing.

“Football is about competing at the best level you can. With Wales or Bolton the manager sometimes picks the best team for that game, it isn’t always a bad thing not being in the team.

“Nobody likes it, of course, but you have to take it on the chin and show the gaffer you are ready whenever you are called upon.”