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MANAGER'S VERDICT: BOLTON WANDERERS

28 April 2018

NIGEL Clough hailed a "brilliant" Brewers performance as his team beat Bolton 2-0 to take the survival fight to the final game of the season.

The Albion manager said: "Bolton got a lot of bodies forward, put a lot of balls forward but we dealt with it brilliantly. We scored two great goals and had the opportunity in the second half to make the game safe.

"There was everything there we wanted in the performance today but we haven't done anything yet  - unless we get a result at Preston next week it counts for nothing.

"The message to the players now is that we have come this far, let's finish it off. With Preston's result today they need a win to stand a chance of getting in the play-offs so they have something to play for as well.

"We have to go there and get a positive result and give ourselves a chance."

Clough praised his players efforts this afternoon.

"The players were magnificent and there were some good moves and good passing at times. We made good decisions generally throughout the game. 

"We said not to give them any encouragement and we didn't give them any in the first 15 minutes of the second half."

Clough also praised an all round performance from Hope Akpan.

"Hope scored us a brilliant goal. He has been close to that and has been making us goals and we said the next stage was to go and get one himself and he scored a very important one today. All round today he showed his capabilities.

"Liam Boyce was holding the ball up and he was excellent causing problems for the centre halves all afternoon. That is what we have been missing."

It's now all on the game at Preston on May 6.

Clough said: "It doesn't matter what has happened in the previous 45 games now we need a result next week to stand a chance of staying up. But it's nice to win two home games and whatever happens it's nice to go into next season on a relative high."


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