MORE than 20,000 people will make the pilgrimage in expectation, rather than hope, as Wanderers aim to close the gap on Derby and keep themselves in the automatic promotion picture.
Almost out of second chances, Ian Evatt’s side know that anything other than victory against Shrewsbury Town will kill-off their chances of finishing in the top two.
And furthermore, with goal difference also tipped in the Rams’ favour, there is a heavy emphasis on the Whites not only to win but to win well.
Few could complain with Saturday’s performance against Portsmouth – and had Bolton matched that level in their previous meeting at Fratton Park, or in their key game at Derby before the international break, then Championship destiny may still be under their own control.
The stats show they can score goals in quantity but the Whites’ inability to find that defining moment in the most high-pressured moments is an issue that has persisted since last season’s play-off semi-final defeat at Barnsley.
Bolton are one of only five teams to have racked up a century of goals this season, and could well finish the campaign with four players in double figures for all competitions – something they have not managed since Bob Taylor, Arnar Gunlaugsson, Dean Holdsworth and Per Frandsen managed it in 1998/99.
The numbers do not make especially cheerful reading for Tuesday night’s opponents, Shrewsbury Town, who have average fewer league goals per game than any other team in the EFL.
Paul Hurst’s side have found the back of the net a paltry 31 times and have failed to score in more than half the games they have played this season.
Relegation remains an outside shot. The Shrews currently hold a six-point advantage over Port Vale and an identical goal difference. It seems likely that Hurst’s side will look to protect their point at all costs but a decisive goal one way or another in Vale’s home game with Wycombe Wanderers may affect their approach.
But for a sloppy first 10 minutes, Bolton played with a pace and purpose which kept the home fans positive at the weekend. It is fair to say, however, that Pompey also looked to play some football and secure a win that would have crowned them champions. Whether Ian Evatt can expect the same thing here is debatable.
Shrewsbury’s record when conceding the first goal is particularly poor. In the 24 games they have gone behind they have recovered just one win and three draws, suffering 20 defeats. In those games they have managed just seven goals and conceded 43.
The first goal usually feels important for Bolton, and particularly at home; in this case it is even more so.
Dion Charles returned from injury on Saturday and nearly made an immediate impact, hitting the post with an instinctive prod at goal from Kyle Dempsey’s cross. Moments earlier, he had chased down a Pompey defender to earn a throw-in, the sort of waspish attitude we have missed in his absence.
He has been stuck on 17 club goals in all competitions since scoring his last goal against Luton Town in the FA Cup third round replay back in January, after which he went on a rather barren run of nine games before damaging his knee at Wycombe.
Wanderers will have to be sensible in bringing him back up to full speed and a start against Shrewsbury seems unlikely, but the 28-year-old will be keen to get as much time as possible in the final three games to see if he can stretch to the 20-goal mark for a third time at this level.
His record against Shrewsbury is a solid one, too, with four goals in eight games against the Shropshire men for Bolton and Accrington Stanley.
You need to go back to April 1990 for the last time the Shrews came to Bolton and claimed victory, with the Whites claiming five wins and a draw from the six home meetings since.
And potentially the last of those wins could provide some clues as to how Tuesday’s game will go. Josh Sheehan settled the contest with a brilliant strike after more than an hour of toil and a first half in which neither side mustered even a shot on target.
Wanderers all-but secured a play-off place that day – matching their target they had set out at the start of the season. Whether they manage the same this year is very much in the balance.
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