Dion Charles fires Bolton Wanderers warning to Plymouth Argyle and Sheffield Wednesday | OneFootball

Bolton Wanderers striker Dion Charles says his side “mean business” in their League One promotion push.

The Trotters secured an emphatic 5-0 win over play-off chasing Peterborough United at the Weston Homes Stadium on Saturday thanks to a hat-trick from Charles, which included two penalties, and a double from Ricardo Santos.

It is even more impressive when you consider that they were taking on a Posh side who had won all three games since Darren Ferguson returned for a fourth spell in charge last month.

Ian Evatt’s men moved up to fourth in the table after their fourth consecutive league victory and they are now just six points behind second-placed Sheffield Wednesday and eight points behind leaders Plymouth Argyle, although they have played more games than those above them.

Charles now has 17 goals in all competitions this season and the 27-year-old says the win over Posh was a statement victory in the promotion race.

“I’ll get the plaudits for getting a hat-trick but it was a big team performance. We all dug in and showed what we were about,” Charles told The Bolton News.

“It is a point put out to everyone that we mean business. We have become men – from boys to men – and we are difficult to beat.

“The coaching staff have been brilliant, drilling things on the training ground and making sure we take responsibility for our own actions on the pitch. Everyone has bought into it and we’re doing well at the moment.

“This breeds confidence. They are not far off the play-offs and hoping to get in but all we can do is try and beat the teams around us and take as many points off them as we can to get us closer to the top of the table.

“We can’t get too ahead of ourselves. It’s one game, three points, we need to go and back it up on Tuesday against MK Dons and get another three.”

Quiz: Can you name which club Bolton Wanderers signed these 22 players from?

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The Verdict

It was an outstanding result for Bolton on Saturday.

While the scoreline perhaps does not entirely reflect the game as Posh did have chances of their own, Charles is right that it sends a message to the rest of the division.

The Trotters have shown under Evatt previously that they are capable of going on an excellent run and you would not rule them out of automatic promotion contention.

It will be hard considering the consistency the Owls and the Pilgrims are displaying, but if Wanderers can keep up their form, they will have to be taken seriously.