Owen Coyle has urged Bolton Wanderers to build on the momentum created by beating Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park on Tuesday night.
Mark Davies and Nigel Reo-Coker scored first-half goals to give Bolton a commanding lead before Steve Kean’s side responded when Yakuku netted what turned out to be a consolation with 23 minutes remaining.
Bolton leapfrogged Rovers into 19th place courtesy of the crucial victory – and Coyle wants his players to produce a similar performance in their next fixtures against Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium.
“There’s pivotal moments and pivotal games during a season,” Coyle told Sky Sports. “We had to make this ours and draw a line in the sand on what went before. We did it tonight and it’s a great feeling – but that’s all it is.
“The result puts us in amongst a few teams and with a couple of home games to come we have to go and capitalise on them. We have to make sure that we carry this momentum into the next game.
“We’ve won one game tonight, a local derby, a thrilling game – but we have two home games to come.”
Many Blackburn supporters at Ewood Park spent much of the match calling for Kean’s exit as they slumped to their seventh home defeat of the season.
But Coyle paid credit to Rovers’ spirit after they continued to press for an equaliser deep into stoppage time.
“[Kean is] a great lad and I’ve got no doubts he’s a terrific manager but obviously only one of us was going to be smiling more tonight,” said Coyle.
“We should have put the game to be with some great chances but when we didn’t Blackburn responded. You can see the spirit the players have got for Steve.”