JULIAN Darby doesn’t know whether he will be stood down as interim boss before the weekend – but he said his time in change so far has been a “dream come true”.

Wanderers are still expected to name a successor to Ian Evatt before their game at Reading on Saturday but the official line from the club this evening was that the process was ongoing.

Former Plymouth and Stoke City boss Steven Schumacher had seen his odds tumble to 10/1 ON at one point on Tuesday but after watching his side beat Northampton Town 3-1, Darby admitted he may yet still have to prepare a side for a third time.

“I just said to the players, listen, we can play better but we are on the fringes of the play-offs now. I said ‘I'd like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you've done for me and the memories you've made for me over the last two games’.

“They have been very special, something that I never envisaged, I never thought I was ever going to manage Bolton 100 per cent, no.

“But to get the full set, going all the way through from apprentice to player to manager, it's stuff of dreams, really.

“I actually got a little bit more sleep last night. It was weird because it was the night before the game and you’re thinking ‘here we go again.’ “It wasn’t fantastic but it was better than I did for the other five or six days. When I was in the press conference on Monday you were asking me a question and I was alright to start with but as I started answering I forgot what the question was.

“I was a bit all over the place, it's like, wow, what am I doing here? My head had blown up a little bit.

“I was a bit more with it today. But until I hear something from the board or from Chris Markham, I keep going.

“They are actively trying very hard to get a new manager in but until I get that phone call or they pull me into an office, then I keep going.”

Ideally, Darby could end his two-game tenure with a 100 per cent record, and he walked off the pitch to the Bolton supporters singing his name.

“God, at the end there, yeah,” he said. “Wow. It's just overwhelming, really.

“You get emotional, you try not to break down on the flipping floor, to be honest. But, you know, it's every boy or boy's dream to be walking around the edge of the pitch and all the players are pushing you near, and the players are fantastic.

“And to get that at the end as a thank you, and everyone's giving the thumbs up, it's something you don't forget.”

The win against Northampton was a fairly scrappy affair and victory was only secured in a tight second half after a moment of magic from Aaron Collins to make it 3-1.

Earlier Liam Shaw had scored at both ends of the pitch after George Thomason had opened the scoring in the third minute with a neat finish from a clever corner routine.

“The game started so well, I was thinking ‘what’s going on here? It’s easy this!

“But we didn't actually see it out, we needed to see the next 10, 15 minutes out, keeping a clean sheet and let the game settle. And with them scoring, it put us on our back foot.

“I thought the first half was OK, the second half was a bit like torture really, they had a lot of ball, but our defending at the minute is manful.

“At the end there, where Jonno (George Johnston) ran out and took one again, that's putting your body on the line, and that gets you places.”