Bolton Wanderers: Steven Schumacher can take Phil Parkinson inspiration to land Championship ticket | OneFootball

Bolton Wanderers put in something of a collapse in 2017 before recovering in the nick of time and Schumacher will hope is Bolton side does the same.

Back in the 2016/17 season, Bolton Wanderers managed to earn themselves automatic promotion from League One despite some unconvincing performances and results in the run-in.

It had been a hard-fought campaign for the Whites, eventually finishing way below champions Sheffield United, who would eventually find themselves in the Premier League within a couple of seasons.

Despite the fact that Bolton endured such frustration throughout the campaign, with off-field issues about to rear their head, the Trotters did manage to stave off challenges late on, with Phil Parkinson managing to turn their form around just in the nick of time.

Now, faced with a similar challenge in terms of the run-in as they head into the final six games of the campaign, Steven Schumacher can take inspiration from Parkinson’s ability to get heads together after an inconsistent run to eventually deliver upon their objectives.

The near collapse in spring by Bolton in 2017

Perhaps harsh to suggest it was a ‘collapse’ when it lasted just five matches, but as Bolton had finally clawed themselves back into the top two with five wins on the bounce through February and March, they then loosened their grip and allowed both Scunthorpe United and Fleetwood Town to close in.

In April, a lot down to the fact that Gary Madine had become injured, and he was simply fundamental to Parkinson’s Bolton side looking remotely like an attacking threat, Bolton went on a run of just one victory in five matches.

A goalless draw at home to soon-to-be-relegated Chesterfield was followed up by 1-0 defeats to Scunthorpe United and Oldham Athletic before another goalless draw at home with soon-to-be-relegated Bury.

In five games where Bolton could have wrapped up automatic promotion with two more wins in that time, the Whites scored one goal and collected just five points.

However, just in the nick of time and with the return of the aforementioned Madine, Wanderers won 2-0 on the penultimate day of the campaign away at Port Vale, in a game in which Madine scored, and then eased past Peterborough United by three goals to nil on the final day.

Bolton went from cruising to the automatics to needing a final day victory to cement their spot back in the second-tier and there will now have to be a continued resurgence from the Whites under the management of Schumacher.

The near collapse in spring by Bolton in 2025

The former Plymouth Argyle boss enjoyed an extended honeymoon period in his opening month and a half or so in charge with some remarkable come-from-behind victories and genuinely excellent performances, but three defeats either side of the March international break ended any lingering hopes of an unlikely shot at the top two in League One and rather put their hopes of just the top six in massive doubt.

Defeats to Bristol Rovers, Stockport County and Blackpool saw them continue being leaky at the back, conceding six goals in those three games, unlike a Parkinson side but, like a Parkinson side, they had built the foundations to be able to rescue their campaign in the nick of time.

They may well have rediscovered that winning touch in almost typical Parkinson fashion, though, by grinding out hard-fought victories in hard-to-watch games against Wigan Athletic and Bristol Rovers of late.

It is not exactly the same situation with the top six on the line this time rather than the top two and the fact that Schumacher has a few more games to ensure Bolton can maintain their spot in the play-off places – or more games to worry about them falling out.

However, the similarity of that ill-timed collapse in performance level and results will provide inspiration for the former Stoke City manager and the potentially imminent return of Ricardo Santos to first-team action, or even the return of Kyle Dempsey to the bench at the weekend, could well act as the aforementioned much-needed and well-timed Madine catalyst eight years on.