STEVEN Schumacher has saluted the role George Johnston has played in Wanderers’ recent defensive improvement.
One of the longest serving first team players on the books, Johnston has helped Bolton go on a run of six games unbeaten in League One, during which they have conceded just twice.
His partnership with Eoin Toal at centre-back is currently unbeaten this term, boasting seven wins and five draws from the 12 games they have started alongside each other.
Indeed, of the 42 games the pair have started, they have ended up on the losing side on just six occasions.
It has been somewhat of a return to top form for Johnston, who suffered at times last season in a Wanderers side that kept just nine clean sheets in the league and who shipped an unsatisfactory 70 goals in total.
The defender’s durability has been a big bonus for Schumacher and he feels his form in the last couple of months has been a big part in the team pushing up towards the top two.
“Jonno has been available for nearly all the games since I have been here,” he told The Bolton News. “There was a short time at the end of last season when Sam Inwood played but apart from that he has been very consistent.
“There have been times when the odd mistake is made – and that has happened with all the defenders at some point – but as part of a unit we feel he is playing really well at the moment.”
Skipper Toal has kept himself clear of injury this season, leaving him and Johnston to claim the lion’s share of minutes in the league.
Chris Forino has dipped in and out of the side, with Will Forrester also completing his return from long-term injury to recently start playing games in the cup.
“We have the options to keep that centre-half department fresh with four good players, especially at this time of year where we’re coming into a really tough period of games,” he said.
“George has to keep his standards high because when he plays well and when the rest of that unit play well then we're difficult to beat.
“He does give us that left-footed aspect, which I like, he can break lines with his passes and he can defend the box really well for his size, he’s good in the air.
“Mark Hughes and Richie Kyle have been working incredibly hard with the whole defensive unit, getting them organised and keeping them at it all the time.
“It is different coming from a back three like the majority of the players have played over the last four or five seasons, to playing the back four like they are now. They are taking on the information really well, they are performing excellently and we want that to continue.”
Schumacher reckons the Toal-Johnston partnership has improved this season because of the competition supplied by Forino, Forrester and Co.
“To be fair, Chris was great when he came in with Jonno when Toally was on international duty," he said. "I have four really good centre-backs and whichever two we pick know they have to be really good because there is someone knocking on the door ready to step into their place.
“It is nice to be able to keep consistency at the back and let the players get into a rhythm a bit more too. Partnerships are quite important and I think it's easier to change forward players than defenders.”
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