Bolton Wanderers manager Steven Schumacher expressed frustration over his team’s lack of confidence following their 2-0 defeat to Cardiff City. The visitors secured victory with two quick goals early in the second half from Omari Kellyman and Chris Willock, extending their lead over Bolton to 11 points in the race for the second automatic promotion spot in League One.

Schumacher pointed to his players’ hesitance and lack of belief as key factors in the loss. “I told them to take the handbrake off – I didn’t know what we were waiting for, maybe for them to score,” he said. “There was nothing to lose and I told them to go for it, but their individuals were miles better than ours. They played with confidence, but we didn’t have any.” He acknowledged Cardiff as the better side, adding that the defeat effectively ended Bolton’s chances of automatic promotion, though he noted the campaign was far from over.

Cardiff manager Brian Barry-Murphy welcomed the win, which puts his team in position to join Lincoln City—already promoted—in securing a return to the Championship. A victory at Huddersfield Town on Tuesday would confirm their promotion, with a further opportunity at home against Reading next Saturday.

Barry-Murphy admitted his squad had been under scrutiny due to inconsistent results leading up to the match, but praised their attitude and performance in securing a convincing win. “Before today’s game there would have been question marks about our form, where we were at, and how many wins we’d had in the last eight games,” he said. “We had to accept all that and still played the way we did in spite of it.”

He highlighted the team’s strong first-half showing as evidence of their intent, with halftime instructions focusing on reasserting control—an approach that yielded the crucial goals. “We scored at important times and reflected our dominance, which we probably haven’t done in the recent past,” Barry-Murphy added. “In previous weeks our play was giving us the chance to win a game like today, but we hadn’t done it. We had to go and do it today, and we did.”

Both managers now turn their attention to upcoming fixtures, with Bolton seeking to regroup and Cardiff aiming to maintain momentum as the season reaches a critical stage.