Steven Schumacher insists Bolton will not be distracted in promotion race

Bolton head coach Steven Schumacher believes that his players should “focus on ourselves” – and not the possibility of automatic promotion in League One – after the 1-1 draw at Reading.

Jack Marriott gave Reading a 36th-minute lead with his 17th goal of the season but, after intense pressure in the second half, Bolton snatched an equaliser through Mason Burstow in the sixth minute of stoppage time.

Third-placed Wanderers now lie eight points behind Lincoln, who lie in the second of the two automatic promotion slots behind leaders Cardiff.

“It’s too early to be worrying about that automatic stuff,” Schumacher said. “There’s a lot of games to go, Lincoln and Cardiff have 14, so there’s plenty of time for them to have a blip in form.

“But we’re playing well and we’ve just got to focus on ourselves and try to be as consistent as we can be.

“We’re eight unbeaten now and we know that we’re a good team. But if we don’t have enough to get automatic, then we still think we’ll be in the mix.”

Schumacher rued Reading’s goal. “When Marriott, a man in form, gets a sniff, he just punishes us,” he said.

“But I thought that we responded really well.

“I said to the boys at half-time that we can’t be too disheartened. We had controlled the game and if we continue to pass the ball as well in the second half, then we’ll create chances.

“Thankfully, we finally got something from the game, which was no less than what we deserved.

“We’ve had 65 per cent possession, we’ve had chances and 16 shots on goal. We’re getting into good areas but maybe we were guilty of not being clinical and taking those chances.”

Reading now lie in eighth place, two points off the play-off spots.

“That’s football,” Royals manager Leam Richardson said of Bolton’s late leveller.

“If it had been the other way round and we had scored in the 96th, we’d have still got a point. It’s the same thing.

“With the way it was, conceding so late like that, the lads will be down.

“But with their work ethic and with the way that we stuck together tonight, after four games in 12 days, that says a lot about them.

“If you’re not going to win, don’t lose.”

Richardson was unhappy with a second-half challenge by Bolton’s Johnny Kenny on Royals centre-back Paudie O’Connor, which led to him going off in the 65th minute with a facial injury.

No action was taken against Kenny but Richardson said: “I’ve been told it was a horrific challenge.

“It’s a terrible one, disgusting really. Paudie’s getting stitches as we speak and his teeth have suffered, too.”