Coyle seeks happy ending to traumatic season

BOLTON manager Owen Coyle feels his relegation-threatened side have had a season “you could not make up”, but remains confident they can emerge at the end of it this weekend smiling.

It has been an injury-blighted campaign for the Trotters, with key players like Stuart Holden (knee) and Lee Chung-yong (broken leg) heading a lengthy casualty list.

Fellow Wanderers midfielder Fabrice Muamba suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch in an FA Cup game at Tottenham in March and, while he has made a remarkable recovery since then, it is not known whether he will play professional football again.

Then last weekend defender David Wheater became the latest member of the squad to pick up a serious injury, sustaining cruciate ligament damage in the 2-2 home draw with West Brom.

Wanderers’ season of setbacks could yet finish with their relegation from the Premier League. Coyle’s men – currently 18th in the table – head into tomorrow’s final day needing to win at Stoke to have any chance of staying up. They also require 17th-placed QPR to lose at Manchester City.

But Coyle remains optimistic. “There has been huge trauma and turmoil in terms of injuries and illness, but we’ve just got on with it and always remained grounded,” he said. “We also know that, after everything that’s happened, we have an opportunity come Sunday to go and win that game and be smiling on Sunday night.

“The events that have taken place involving this football club this year have been beyond belief – you couldn’t have made this stuff up. But it’s happened, we’ve had to deal with it and that is what we have done.”

Asked if he thought his team would stay up, Coyle said: “I truly believe we will.”