They say every point is a good point, and Huddersfield Town took plenty of heart from their 1-1 draw at Reading.
But so did Bolton from their home derby against Wigan, which brought the same outcome.
Now both sides, separated by just a point with Town 16th and Bolton a place below, will believe they can kick on when they clash in a good old Roses derby at the John Smith’s, where the home team’s 12-goal top scorer James Vaughan could return.
While there was early drama at the Madejski, where both goals came in the first seven minutes, there was late action at the Reebok.
Leading through a goal from Lukas Jutkiewicz – more of him later – Bolton were looking good for victory going into the final stages.
But Wigan, whose surge for the play-offs under Uwe Rosler has been a major talking point in Championship circles, levelled through Nick Powell.
And it took a last-gasp penalty save by Bolton’s Hungarian keeper Adam Bogdan, who thwarted Jordi Gomez, to deny Wigan a win.
But it seems defeat would have been harsh on Wanderers.
Rosler admitted: “The intensity and power Bolton put on us, we couldn’t cope with it.”
There’s a clear warning there, but Town themselves produced pleasing levels of urgency, energy, determination and resolve at Reading.
It took a penalty to pierce their defence, and a similar spirited approach will be a great starting point in the bid for a first win in seven games against Dougie Freedman’s side, who have picked up after struggling over the first half of the season.
At least three of Freedman’s players will be familiar to Town fans.
Jermaine Beckford and Neil Danns played key roles alongside Vaughan in last season’s survival battle while on loan from Leicester.
And Jutkiewicz had a stint, it’s fair to term unsuccessful, with Town back in 2009, when he was an Everton player.
He’s currently on loan to Bolton from Middlesbrough, and six goals in 12 starts have got fans urging Freedman to make the move permanent.
Beckford, signed in the summer on a two-year contract and just back from injury, has eight goals to his credit.
Click here for more Huddersfield Town news
Want to read, watch and hear more? You can download the FREE Examiner Apple App here, the FREE Examiner Android App here or you can view the paper as an e-edition on your Apple, Android or Kindle device by clicking here
Want the latest Huddersfield Town news? Follow our Town news Twitter here
