Bolton Wanderers manager Keith Hill says a good run in the FA Cup could have been a welcome way of raising money for the club this season.

The Trotters were knocked out of the competition in the first round on Saturday, as they lost 1-0 at home to League Two side Plymouth Argyle, with Callum McFadzean netting the only goal of the game.

Speaking to The Bolton News after the match, Hill admitted that he feels his side could miss out financially as a result of their early exit, saying: “I’m disappointed to be out of the FA Cup, I wanted to be in that next round.

“It could have been a big money spinner for the club, and that’s a concern for me."

From a footballing perspective however, it seems Hill is less concerned by Saturday's defeat, as he added: “But from being knocked out of the competition it bears no consequence on the rest of our season – that’s from my management position.

“In a nutshell, the league is the priority but it will be interesting to see how the players react because I think they know the performance levels have not been good.” 

[freshpress-poll ]

Bolton had gone into the game with Argyle off the back of three straight wins in all competitions, and Hill appears to believe that this defeat could be a wake-up call for his side, adding: “Hopefully losing this game is a tidy reminder to the players of how good they have to be, how responsible they have to be for their own personal performances.

“There are question marks and if you’re a winner you answer them, it’s as simple as that.

“We were on a mini-run but I was always looking at the performances, which then create results. I know why we got beat by Plymouth – our performance wasn’t good enough. It has been good over the course of several weeks."

Discussing his response to Saturday's setback, the Wanderers boss concluded: “I don’t want to over-react. If there’s a time to have a go, I will, but I don’t think this is the time.” 

Bolton are next in League One action on Saturday, when they host MK Dons at The University of Bolton Stadium.

Like Wanderers, MK suffered defeat to League Two opposition in the Cup on Saturday, going down 1-0 to Port Vale in Russell Martin's first match since taking over as Dons' manager.

The Verdict

You can understand why Hill is disappointed by his side's exit from a financial perspective.

Given the situation they have found themselves in off the pitch recently, Bolton could probably have done with the earnings from a decent cup run as much as any other side in the division.

However, with the fixtures already starting to pile up - they already have four games in hand on some of their League One rivals - that break from action that comes from not progressing in the FA Cup may not be the worst thing.

The big challenge for Bolton now therefore, is to make sure they do not lose the momentum they had built up ahead of the Plymouth, to help give them the best possible chance of survival this season.