Bolton Wanderers: Dempsey on West Brom win and Lincoln clash

The Whites finished fifth in League One last term but came up just short against Barnsley over two legs in the semi-final.

Dempsey says there is plenty of ambition in the group and hopes they can hit the ground running in the league.

“It is one of those that makes you hungry,” he told The Bolton News. “The disappointment that it gives you, you have just got to turn that into a positive.

“You don’t want that again, we want to strive for bigger things this season. We have set out what we want to achieve and we will go about our business.”

He added: “As a group, we have got to be ambitious and strive to achieve things that we want to achieve. We have set it our early doors this year that we want to achieve promotion.

“We will do everything we can on the training pitch, listen to everything the gaffer and the staff say, and just give absolutely everything every time we step on that field.”

Dempsey scored a brace during the 4-3 win against West Brom at the weekend, including a stunning strike from outside the box for the opener.

It was the perfect way to boost confidence, both individually and as a team, against a Baggies side to finished ninth in the Championship last term.

Dempsey in action against the Baggies (Image: Harry McGuire)

The midfielder admits he is keen to contribute with more goals in the final third over the coming season.

“It is one of those things that was highlighted at the end of last season,” he explained. “The midfielders we have, maybe sometimes last year we were looking to overplay and overcomplicate things in the final third.

“It is just about getting in those positions, getting half a yard of space and pulling the trigger. You saw (against West Brom), I scored one and then Aaron Morley got one.

“It is just having that belief as midfielders that when you get into those positions, you try to get a shot away because of the technique we have got in the team.

“I touched on it with the coaching staff at my end of season meeting. I want to be looking to score more goals.

“The technique I have and the runs I am making in the final third, it is just about getting those opportunities and being clinical.

“It was nice for my confidence to get those first two goals of pre-season and they couldn’t have come at a better time coming into the start of the season.”

The result against West Brom ensured Wanderers went through pre-season unbeaten, also racking up victories against the likes of Salford and Bradford.

Dempsey says it has been a demanding pre-season but feels it will stand the squad in good stead over the coming weeks and months.

The 27-year-old had a tough time with injuries during his first year at Wanderers but feels good physically ahead of the Lincoln curtain raiser.

“I think it has been really good,” he said. “It is always good to get people through the door straight away and have that period of time where we can work with each other and develop relationships on the pitch.

“The conditioning, everyone has bought into that and I feel like we are in a really good space going into the start of the season.

“I feel absolutely great. I think all the lads will say the same as well. It has been a tough pre-season but it is one of those where you have got to work hard to achieve what we want to achieve this year.”

The midfielder featured in both legs against Barnsley last term (Image: Camerasport)

Plenty of new faces have joined Ian Evatt’s squad over the summer, with Carlos Mendes Gomes most recently making the move from Luton.

Dempsey is relishing the levels of competition in the squad and believes the new additions have settled in nicely.

“It is always hard to say goodbye to some of your team-mates that you have formed really good relationships with, but that is the environment of football,” the former Gillingham skipper continued.

“People come and go. It is just about making the new lads feel as welcome as you can and making them feel at home.

“That is what we are like as a group. I think they have fitted in really nicely and we are all looking forward to the season now.”

He added: “I think competition is only a healthy thing. When you know you have got two players behind you who are pushing to get in the team and doing everything they can, you know you can’t let your levels drop.

“You know you have to be on it every single day in training and that is how it has been.

“To achieve what we want to achieve this year, you need the whole squad and we have 20-plus players who are eager to get in that starting line-up. It is great for the team.”

Dempsey has gone from strength to strength since taking up a more advanced midfield role during the second half of last season.

“I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily a number 10 role, it’s more of an eight with that licence to get forward and get among the goals and assists,” he explained.

“It is something I have been working rally hard on in pre-season, getting myself into those areas more.

“As a midfield trio, it is just about forming those relationships so you know when one of them turn, it is coming right into you. Then it is about being clinical in the final third.”

Ahead of Saturday’s opener against Lincoln, Dempsey reckons Wanderers can take plenty of encouragement from their recent performances against Premier League and Championship opposition.

He insists the squad must have belief in their abilities and maintain their identity as they aim to keep progressing on the pitch.

“We have just got to believe that we are a really good side,” he stated. “We have got to take the energy and what we applied against West Brom, and against Everton, and the technical side.

“We never looked out of depth against these two teams and got two good results. We have got to believe as a team and implement that every time we step on the field this year.

“I think we have just got to be ourselves. We have got to believe how good we are as a team and take that into the first game of the season.

“We’ve got to have confidence to do exactly what the gaffer tells us to do and express ourselves. Hopefully, we can get the win.”