NATHAN Baxter hopes to make more happy memories against Barnsley on Boxing Day as Wanderers look to break back into the top six.

Fresh from an impressive defensive display at leaders Wycombe, Bolton know a win against familiar foes on Thursday could lift them into the play-off positions for the first time since October.

Baxter – who pulled off two big saves in the second half at Adams Park to preserve a clean sheet – knows the onus is on the Whites to pick up the pace in the second half of the season to meet their own promotion targets.

“Of course, we are as frustrated as anyone that we are not top of the league. We want to go into every game and try and win every single one,” he said. “We have a great belief in us as a group of players along with the manager, the staff, the board, we are all together and know what we want to do.

“We want to stick together and that starts against Barnsley.

“I made my Championship debut away at Barnsley and away there last season was one of the most pleasing games I’ve had from a point of personal contribution. I can also still remember the scenes at the end of the play-off semi-final, so I certainly go into the game with good memories.”

Baxter helped to equal a 123-year-old record for consecutive clean sheets in his first season with Wanderers, registering seven in a row, but has found them more elusive this time around.

The shut-out at Wycombe was only his third of the campaign and the 26-year-old hopes it can spark a better run.

“Every game it’s what we set out to do,” he said. “At the end of the day it doesn’t really matter, the priority is to win games but from a personal perspective you want to keep as many clean sheets as possible.

“Hopefully in this period we can continue to defend in the way we did at Wycombe, improve and put a really good run together.

“We broke the record last year and have pretty much the same team, it just sometimes goes like that. Obviously there have been games and results we haven’t been happy about.

“Sometimes you just need that first one to kick-start and then you go on a little run and get the confidence so hopefully we have that now.”

Wanderers will have Ricardo Santos, George Johnston and Eoin Toal back for the game against Barnsley having coped at Wycombe with an unfamiliar back line.

Baxter was pleased with the performance in Buckinghamshire, however, and feels it can spur them on for the festive run.

“They are a good team and top of the league for a reason,” he said. “Whether you would have expected them to be there at the start of the season or not, it doesn’t really matter, they are there for a reason. They have had a good run of results and they have some good players.

“It was never going to be an easy game. They still have that sort of soul from the Ainsworth days, in some style, and they have improved since then, so it was a tough game.

“We want to win every game so we are disappointed we didn’t win that one, and hopefully we can put it right against Barnsley.”