'Need to stamp down' - Ricardo Santos pinpoints what Bolton Wanderers must do for promotion bid

Ricardo Santos believes Bolton Wanderers need to start the season fast in League One and beat the sides in and around them in the division if they are to improve their chances of promotion this season.

Wanderers finished last campaign in the top 10 of the third tier of English football. They ended the season in ninth place, a good achievement for a newly promoted side, but were 10 points from the play-offs.

This campaign, Wanderers are seeking to close that gap and mount a challenge for the top six places. As well as Bolton, several other ambitious teams call League One home this campaign and will have their sights set on reaching the Championship.

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As well as the Whites , Sheffield Wednesday, MK Dons, Ipswich Town, Portsmouth, Plymouth Argyle and Wycombe Wanderers remain in the division. They are joined by Derby County, Barnsley and Peterborough United who were all relegated from the Championship last season.

But Santos believes Bolton, who begin their season this Saturday away to Ipswich Town, need to stay as consistent as possible and try to hit the ground running in their bid to be in the mix for promotion. He has pinpointed the games against the sides likely to be joining them in that race as the key ones to come out on top of.

He said: “I reckon we need to start fast. We were a bit inconsistent at times where we were good for a month and then we’d go through a little rough patch, which is normal and it happens to everyone. But I think we need to just try and stay consistent and get as many wins as possible.

“I think this league is getting stronger probably every year. But to be honest with you, last year I didn’t