Megson believes there are nine teams in the relegation battle
Bolton manager Gary Megson believes his team will stay up, despite a slump in form that has seen them lose their last three Premier League fixtures.
The Trotters are now third from bottom in the table and have 10 games left.
"We have lost our last three Premier League games but we played ever so well in them," Megson told BBC Sport. "We are not lacking in confidence.
"The 1-0 defeat by Portsmouth was probably the best we have played since I have been here."
After the reverse to Pompey on 9 February, the next league game was a 4-1 defeat at Blackburn and then a 3-1 loss at home to Liverpool - and the sequence of results has seen Bolton slip down from a season's high of 13th.
"People are starting to see the glass half empty about Bolton but the most we have been is four points away from trouble," added Megson.
What we have managed to do is give ourselves an opportunity from a position where we had absolutely no chance
Gary Megson
"I always knew it was going to be tight. Nobody has managed to pull out of trouble. There is still a great deal to play for."
Megson took over at the Reebok Stadium on 25 October, with the club bottom of the table and having picked up five points from their opening 10 games.
Bolton have since picked up 20 points from 18 fixtures - including a 1-0 win over Manchester United.
"What we have managed to do is give ourselves an opportunity from a position of absolutely no chance," said the 48-year-old.
"Remember, 18 games ago we were a point below Derby.
"We have picked up some decent results and improved our position - but in doing that all we have done is given ourselves a fighting chance that we did not have a while back."
And although Bolton find themselves in 18th place, Megson is quick to point out that his team are one of several threatened by relegation.
BOLTON'S REMAINING FIXTURES (Premier League)
16/03: Wigan (A)
19/03: Man Utd (A)
22/03: Man City (H)
29/03: Arsenal (H)
05/04: Aston Villa (A)
12/04: West Ham (H)
19/04: Middlesbrough (A)
26/04: Tottenham (A)
03/05: Sunderland (H)
11/05: Chelsea (A)
"Whilst our position at the moment is perilous I don't think there is anybody in the bottom half with the exception of Tottenham who would not consider their own position perilous as well," he said.
"There is a lot to play for. There are 30 points available and we have 10 very difficult games.
"But when we play and we play properly, putting a good shift in, we are capable of beating anyone."
The club's top scorer remains Nicolas Anelka, who was sold to Chelsea on 11 January for �15m.
Anelka netted 10 Premier League goals for Bolton - and the club have managed five in seven games in the |Premier League since his departure.
The French striker will face his former club at Stamford Bridge on the last day of the season as part of a testing run-in for Wanderers.
Bolton have the play the top three as well as relegation rivals Wigan, Middlesbrough and Sunderland in their last 10 fixtures.
And Megson is quick to acknowledge that his team have "a difficult run-in".
But he is refusing to set a points total for his team and is determined to shield his players from the pressure of the final weeks.
"The last thing that we want to do is put out a target, reach it and then find out it is not good enough.
"I think in the past the highest number has been 42 in 2003 when West Ham went down but we just have to try to get one more than we actually need.
"What we have got to do is get as many as we can as quickly as we can.
"Negativity will not be allowed to surface in the football club, we will keep the players protected."
Megson, who moved to the Reebok after six weeks in charge at Championship side Leicester, expects the relegation struggle to go down to the final round of matches.
And asked whether his team will avoid the drop, Megson replied: "Yes. I'm sure it will go right down to the end of the season but hopefully not with us."
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