STEVEN Schumacher has called for a note of patience on and off the pitch as Wanderers look to sign off 2025 with another home win.
Mansfield visit the Toughsheet tonight as the fourth-placed Whites look to claw back some ground on the automatic promotion spots with what would be their 18th home victory in all competitions during the calendar year.
No team in the country can boast a longer unbeaten run at home than Bolton, who took their streak to 17 with a 2-1 win against Rotherham United on Friday.
But their reputation around League One is starting to precede them, and Schumacher is finding more opposing sides are seeking to defend deep, frustrate and contain.
That can also have a knock-on effect on the supporters, and there were signs against Rotherham that the frustration was starting to seep through.
“We all have to stay patient,” he told the Bolton News. “If it takes to the last minute of the game, the last minute of the first half, then so be it.
“As long as we find a way to win then that is all that really matters.
“I know from the fans’ perspective it isn’t easy and you want to see your team playing forwards but it’s not that easy. You don’t want to keep giving the ball back to the opposition unnecessarily.
“You have to wear them down at times. And we are finding ways to do that.”
Mansfield managed to surprise Schumacher with their tactical approach in the recent game at Field Mill, but the early dismissal of Rhys Oates changed the course of the match and left the Whites once again facing a low defensive block.
On home soil, the blueprint has been similar for most opponents in League One.
“Everyone has pretty much done the same thing against us here,” said the Bolton boss.
“Only a couple of teams have done something slightly different but nobody has yet found a way to beat us, so long may that continue.
“Mansfield changed things for us at home but whether they do that again, I’ll have to watch their game at Barnsley back properly. But I know they went to Cardiff and pressed them man-for-man, I don’t know whether they will do that again for us.
“But whatever they do, we'll try and have to figure it out and break it down.”
Wanderers are still searching for a way to match their resilience at home with their results on the road but the late response against Rotherham showed the sort of belief the team has played with at the Toughsheet this season.
Schumacher wants to ensure his side go to Doncaster on New Year’s Day with some momentum, even if it takes another late, late show.
“I think when you have done something before it gives you the confidence to go and do it again,” he said. “We came from behind against Huddersfield, we showed we can do that.
“We believe we can score late goals here at home. Teams do have to work hard against us here, no-one's getting an easy game, it's not a slow game, we're always trying to play at a tempo.
“Eventually someone will make a mistake, or we will produce that bit of quality to get in – which has happened a few times. So that belief has to stay with us, that little bit of luck has to go for us, and we need to have the desire to keep going even when it isn’t going entirely your way.”
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