Kevin Nolan took no extra joy from beating old club Bolton on 'emotional day'
Kevin Nolan has been impressed by the ‘incredible’ attitude of his players after they claimed their fourth win in five League One games on Saturday.
Second half goals from Cameron McGeehan and Sam Hoskins guided Cobblers to victory over Bolton as they bounced back in style from the previous week’s underwhelming defeat at Wycombe. It’s now five wins in six across competitions, all with clean sheets.
"We were majorly disappointed with last week against Wycombe, more so the performance than the result, but the attitude of the boys and their work-rate off the ball and out of possession was incredible and they carried out our plan to a tee,” Nolan added.
"I’m so pleased and proud of the lads and how they’ve responded in the last week. When you show them on the video and you work on it in training, and then you see it come to fruition on the pitch, that's very pleasing and it's fantastic and it should build their confidence even further. The lads are doing it and performing and getting results against really good teams. It was a fantastic day and it’s another win at Sixfields.”
Nolan joined Bolton as a teenager in the mid 1990s and spent over a decade at the club, including three years as captain in the Premier League, but he took no extra pleasure in beating them at the weekend.
"I obviously wanted to beat them but I have a lot of love and loyalty towards that club, and the fans, for what they did for me,” Nolan added. “It was an emotional day for me but I was really glad to be on the right side. It hurt losing at their place but now I'm smiling and happy.
"It was a good performance and a good result and now look forward to another tough one at Vale. I wish Bolton all the best and Steven (Schumacher) is a good man and a very good manager. He knows this league inside out and I'm sure they'll be up there come the end of the season.”