Steven Schumacher can't ignore Bolton Wanderers context ahead of Wrexham, Birmingham City | OneFootball

The feel good factor is back at Bolton after three successive come from behind victories but they will require more control ahead of facing Wrexham.

There is a feel-good factor back at the Toughsheet Community Stadium as Bolton Wanderers march into two massive games in the space of three days on the back of three successive victories.

Steven Schumacher’s reign began with a 1-0 loss away at fellow play-off chasers Reading less than 48 hours after his appointment with a late penalty separating the two sides in Berkshire.

Since then, the Trotters have enjoyed three straight wins with all three victories involving dramatic second-half turnarounds to get their play-off and promotion push back on track.

As we head into spring, Schumacher and Bolton supporters will be keen not to get too far ahead of themselves because there are still major areas of improvement for the Whites to work on but the foundation for a successful end to the campaign has been laid.

Unsustainable victories a concern for Bolton Wanderers

The first of those comeback wins saw Bolton save themselves from a fairly embarrassing result at home to League Two-bound Crawley Town earlier this month.

Within 15 minutes of a goalless first half, the game had exploded with Crawley racing into a 3-1 lead by the hour mark but Schumacher’s tactical changes and Bolton’s quicker, desperate all-out-attack allowed them to score a 99th-minute winner in a seven-goal thriller.

A week later, they went 1-0 down against another relegation-threatened side, Shrewsbury Town, before three second-half goals saw them 3-1 up. They had to hold on for a 3-2 win but things were growing.

Then, at the weekend, Bolton faced fellow play-off chasers Leyton Orient in a huge game for the top-six spots and, after going 1-0 down just before halftime, managed to rally and dominate the second half to turn the game on its head.

They are all impressive shows of character and, within each performance, there have been tactical tweaks and several improvements from what went before but the fact remains; serious promotion challengers need to make things a little easier for themselves.

Steven Schumacher’s search for control

What has been a theme of Bolton’s better performances this season is their ability to look so much more threatening when they have given up on their methodical, possession-based approach.

The same can be said for Evatt’s time in the first half of the campaign when things became stagnant for large parts but desperate, attacking displays against Peterborough United and Blackpool in particular saw them dominate games with a swarm-like mentality, leading to late winners.

The same has happened in Schumacher’s early spell in charge but, what has become clear, is that Bolton have found themselves able to tactically evolve a lot more, switching from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-4-2 to a back three in the same game against Orient.

If they want to really kick on then they will need to find more control, though, especially against their upcoming opponents Wrexham on Saturday and then Birmingham City next week.

If Bolton find themselves unable to dictate tempo or get a proper grip on the first half like they have done recently then teams with the quality of Wrexham and Birmingham will punish them while, unlike relegation strugglers such as Crawley and Shrewsbury, they will not offer them a way back in.

Schumacher’s Plymouth Argyle side that romped their way to the League One title a couple of seasons ago with over 100 points did have the odd shocker with hammerings that season against Bolton, Charlton Athletic, and Peterborough United – and, often, the Pilgrims’ games were simply chaotic.

It may well be the case that Bolton do have the odd shocker but, playing with more risk like they are doing, is allowing them, over the course of a campaign, to out-score and out-point their opposition.

With just 14 games left, though, there isn’t much room for the ‘odd shocker’, especially as they still sit outside of the top six at the time of writing and that required element of control is something Bolton will have to work on and discover in the final months of the season.