Bolton 1-1 Blackburn: Neil Lennon and Paul Lambert reaction
Monday 28 December 2015 18:59, UK
Neil Lennon savoured a long-awaited Bolton win as they beat Blackburn 1-0 on Monday afternoon yet he knows the Sky Bet Championship's bottom side are not out of 'hell' just yet.
Gary Madine's 77th-minute winner ended Wanderers' 107-day wait for a victory as they defeated Blackburn 1-0 to clinch their first three points in 18 league games.
A lot has happened at the Macron Stadium since their previous victory over Wolves on September 12 - including the club being served a winding-up petition by HM Revenue and Customs and hit by a Football League transfer embargo - but Lennon was delighted to finally deliver some positive headlines while they remain in takeover limbo.
"It's one of delight, one of relief as well," the Northern Irishman said of his emotions. "It's been a long time coming. I thought we were good value for the win.
"We had to withstand a little bit of pressure and we got a little bit of luck at the end. We deserved that luck, we haven't had any this season whatsoever. It's nice to see people walking out of the ground with a smile on their face. It was an important win and important to get a reaction after such a poor performance on Saturday."
Wanderers' Championship status and Lennon's own future looked precarious after a 4-0 drubbing away at fellow strugglers Rotherham on Boxing Day.
However, the players responded with a sixth straight home victory over neighbours Rovers and are set to be paid on Tuesday - with a percentage coming from the Professional Footballers' Association - having not received their wages last month.
"I think they were smarting after Saturday and they had to show pride in the club and the shirt - they've done that," added Lennon.
"That's just one small step, we have to carry that on. We've still got a big fight on our hands but that's a step in the right direction. I'm pleased for the players, they showed a lot of guts.
"A guy once said when you're going through hell, keep going, so you've just got to keep going. It was really tough after Saturday, a lot of soul-searching over the last couple of days. [I'm] relieved today to get the win. Hopefully we can kick on from that now."
Blackburn's players should have been fresher, having seen their December 26 game with Middlesbrough postponed because of the heavy rain in Lancashire.
Instead, Rovers boss Paul Lambert saw them produce their worst showing in his seven games in charge.
"I knew at the time the Middlesbrough game was off that it was going to have an adverse reaction to us because people have that mindset," he said.
"You're better playing so everyone else is at the same level. I knew the Middlesbrough game being off was a dangerous thing for us - being fresh never really entered my brain. We just never did enough to win the game. Since I've been here that's the most disappointing performance."
The visitors came close to a stoppage-time leveller when Tom Lawrence's effort was deflected against a post, but Lambert added: "I don't think it was enough for us, not at the standard we've set.
"That's not good enough for us. To have any aspiration to get out of the league you've got to perform week-in, week-out. I'm disappointed with the way we've played."
