JOSH Sheehan is hopeful he can play his way towards a new deal at Wanderers before the end of the season.

The Wales international has started three of the last four games in all competitions for the Whites and is out of contract this summer, alongside several other members of the first team squad.

Sheehan scored his first goal of the season against Port Vale the last time Bolton played in front of their own fans and is now relishing the prospect of facing Ipswich at the UniBol in a game which could have a major bearing on the play-off race.

Though struck down by a serious knee injury midway through his first season with the Whites, the 27-year-old has slowly worked his way back into grace, making 24 appearances in all this term.

Now he hopes to prove to Evatt over the last 10 games that he can be a part of Wanderers’ future, buoyed by he progress he has made in recent weeks.

“I don’t think I’m under pressure – I’ll go out there, do what I do, and play as well as I can,” he told The Bolton News.

“Hopefully I can get on a little run but my focus is on playing well and see what comes for me.

“I do think in myself over the last few weeks, in games and in training, sometimes it just clicks for you.

“It does take time and I don’t know of many players who have come back to their best straight away in the first minute after getting an injury like that.

“I do feel like I am getting there and hopefully that will show over the next few weeks.”

Wanderers start the week fourth in the table, three points behind Ipswich in third.

Teams around the top six have as many as four games in hand – but Bolton have a nine-point buffer on Wycombe in seventh, plus a superior goal difference.

Sheehan maintains that he would rather be in the Whites’ position than trying to make up ground this month.

He said: “I’d say it is a positive to have played those games and have some points on the board rather than thinking ‘if we win this, we would be there’.

“It is all on the other teams to get their results to nudge up the table, close the gap, extend the gap, whatever.

“We have done the games and that’s why March isn’t as busy. By April it will be all to play for.”

A positive result against Ipswich would be a major step in the right direction for Wanderers on Saturday, however, especially as it is followed by a Friday night visit to league leaders Sheffield Wednesday.

“Every game is a big one now, especially when you are playing the teams who are in and around you,” he said. “Obviously they are going to have an extra edge because the result is more escalated.

“Sometimes you feel like you need to win every game to keep up with the pace but it doesn’t always work out like that. You just need to not look too far ahead, concentrate on one at a time and see where it takes you.”