Fulham coach Stuart Gray fears a Bolton backlash might come to haunt his side tomorrow.
The man in charge believes a home side deep in trouble could be ‘galvanised’ by their plight, one in which players are not getting paid while Wanderers lie rock-bottom in the Championship.
Gray fancies those in Bolton white might be motivated by the chance to get rescued from the mayhem at the Macron Stadium.
He explained: “They’ve got off the field issues at Bolton, so one imagines we’ll be facing a very galvanised, hard working physical team with a point to prove.
“Players are playing for their livelihoods, and they might see it as a way of putting themselves in the shop window.
“I feel for them. I remember at Portsmouth when they went into administration how difficult it was.”
For all that, Gray refused to be drawn on whether it was a good time for Fulham to face Bolton or leaders Brighton away, but was adamant there needed to be a vast improvement on the damp squib of the home defeat to Ipswich on Tuesday.
He added: “What we can’t do is concede after 17 seconds, and the game plan has gone out of the window.
“The players are hurting at the moment.
“We have good players and professionals, but we need that bit of luck and we’re not getting it and getting punished.”
