STEVEN Schumacher will send his side into battle on the final day of the season with two objectives: Seal home advantage in the play-offs and stop the momentum of in-form Luton Town.
Wanderers are in the luxurious position of being the only team in the top six guaranteed a play-off spot but they will also claim third – and hence a home second leg in the semi-finals – with victory on Saturday.
The only way they drop out of the top four is if they fail to beat Luton and both Stockport County and Bradford City win their respective fixtures.
But there is another motivation for Schumacher, who is keen to keep the in-form Hatters out of the play-off equation altogether.
Luton are 10 league games unbeaten, riding on the crest of a wave since lifting the Vertu Trophy, but they must get some sort of result at the Toughsheet Stadium to stand a chance of extending their season.
“The one objective for us now is to win on Saturday,” Schumacher said, looking towards the first league meeting between the two clubs on Bolton soil since 1995.
“We know that if we don’t, Luton can come into the play-offs with loads of momentum, and obviously we want to try and finish the regular season as well as we can, cement third.”
Jack Wilshere, who cut his teeth in professional football at Wanderers in a loan spell from Arsenal, has turned around the Hatters’ season in the last few months.
After beating Stockport at Wembley Luton have climbed steadily from 11th to the cusp of the play-offs but, like Plymouth below them, must rely on other teams dropping points.
Schumacher is pleased his own team’s aim is a simple one.
“All we have to do is focus on winning the game because I think finishing third or fourth is important, playing at home in that second leg is an advantage,” he said.
“I don't think it really matters who you play, because all the teams are good. They all pose you different threats. We know what Plymouth Argyle do, we know what Stevenage do, we know what their styles look like.
“Luton play a different way and we haven’t played them very recently, so we’ll examine them in a bit more detail, even though we know they won’t be in the same style as Bradford, or a Stevenage, or an Argyle.
“We come up against it's going to be two competitive games over two legs. It can probably go either way, so we have to make sure that we're prepared and ready for it.
“Luton have been on a cracking run. They're playing well. They've got good players. It took them a bit of time to completely get going, but the last few months, certainly after the Wembley victory they had, they've kicked on and done well.
“We will look forward to that challenge on Saturday. We are at home. We have been really good at home and we want that record to continue.”
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