Elias Kachunga believes Bolton Wanderers must take a leaf out of his time at Huddersfield Town and the promotion he won there to the Premier League as they attempt to reach the play-offs this season.
Wanderers have seven games left of their campaign and have slim hopes of being in the top six by the end of the season.
Bolton have not been in action over the international break and have a huge clash against Wigan Athletic when they return, before back-to-back home games versus fellow play-off hopefuls Portsmouth and Sheffield Wednesday.
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After the weekend action where the Owls picked up a big win at Hillsborough against Cheltenham Town, Wanderers now find themselves 11 points from the top six and will need a near flawless record realistically if they are to have a chance of reaching the play-offs now.
Kachunga has achieved promotion with the Terriers in 2017 where they won the play-off final against Reading to claim a place in the Premier League.
In that time, the Terriers focused on one game at a time and did not talk of reaching Wembley or the potential of being in the top flight.
And Kachunga believes Wanderers must do the same in their attempts to reach the play-offs and, even if they do not, use it as a building block for next season.
He told the Manchester Evening News: “I was lucky to have two promotions in my career and it was the same – until the last game you have to believe you can go up if you still have that chance.
“At Huddersfield it was the same. We just looked from game to game, nobody was talking about a final or anything. It has to be the same here, we win one at a time.
“Even if at the end we don’t get there, we need to win each game and make sure we build for next season stronger.”
Kachunga is in his first season at Bolton after joining on the eve of the new campaign following his release from Sheffield Wednesday.
He has recently returned to action from a thigh problem which kept him out of action since early January.
The team he has returned to is a different one compared to the one he last played in thanks to the business done in the January transfer window, which he believes has increased the quality in the squad and means everyone must be on top form to be in the team.
He said: “At the start I came with no pre-season with the team but then got stronger and stronger.
“I then had a really strong run of games and I think I showed what quality I have.
“Injuries are unlucky but it is what it is. I need to try and keep my performance at a high level and then see where we end it.
“These things happen. It was frustrating but I am now old enough to know what to do when you get injuries. It is part of the job.
“It is your responsibility to get back as soon as you can, fit and back into the team, and I am looking forward to the next games.
“I have trained with them and been around the dressing room but there is a little bit different style and formation.
“We showed last week we can switch to different formations too.
“Good guys came in during January and we are looking strong. There are good players who can come off the bench to change a game and I think that is good for everyone. You know on the pitch that you have to be at your top level."
