23/04 - 20:00
23/04 - 20:00
Bolton Wanderers' descent down the divisions has been torturous for their fans.
As money was drained from the club, so was hope and optimism with little reprieve coming on the pitch. However, the signs are that the club may be turning a corner.
With the appointment of a young, hungry manager in Ian Evatt and a squad that mixes exciting young talent and experienced pros, there are green shoots of recovery sprouting at the University of Bolton Stadium.
If anyone knows by now that success has to be earnt, it's Trotters fans - who have seen their side bounce back from a slow start to finally hit form this season - Wanderers currently on an exceptional six-game winning streak in League Two.
In collaboration with Bolton fan account The Burnden Way, Playmaker's Tad Chenery takes a look at the factors underlying Wanderers' renaissance and whether Bolton are realistically ready to march back up the EFL.
Change of system!
Key to the sudden upturn in Bolton's form has been a switch in system. Evatt had preferred to set up his team in a 3-5-2, looking to dominate games, as his Barrow side had done last season, when he impressively led them to promotion from the National League.
This set-up met with limit success at Bolton though, as - despite topping both the possession and pass completion tables - the club were stuck battling in mid-table. Evatt decided to switch to a more structured 4-2-3-1, and Alex Lawes of The Burnden Way feels this change has been key to the Trotters' recent run of form.
“We changed at the start January and immediately saw the benefits of it," he says.
"In fact, prior to the change in system, whenever Bolton played well it tended to be late on in games often when the manager had shifted formation in an act of desperation sometimes.”
Since making the permanent switch to a back four, Evatt’s men have only lost one of 11 games conceding only six goals in that time, the lowest in League Two.
January additions
The big-name additions of Anthony Sarcevic and Eoin Doyle in the summer may have blinded some fans to the fact that the squad at Bolton was wafer thin and lacking quality in key areas.
One of those areas was in the centre of the park where captain Sarcevic was never really given a dependable partner. This was duly addressed in January, with the signings of midfield duo MJ Williams and Kieran Lee, who have formed a solid partnership at the base of the Trotters' midfield.
Lawes feels Williams and Lee have been major factors behind the club's good run of form.
“Lee is of Championship pedigree and, perhaps if not for injury, would still be playing at that level.
"Williams does the ‘ugly stuff’ very well, but also manages to play simple but effective passes into the forward players. They complement each other really well.”
A dependable core is key to any successful team, and this is underlined by the impact made by Bolton’s two new men in the middle. When the pair have played together, the club have won all five of their games and are yet to concede a goal. Now that is stability!
Ambitions for the rest of the season
After a turbulent first half of the season, it seems as if Bolton are on the right road to have a real crack at bouncing back to League One at the first time of asking. They currently sit in sixth place, just six points off league leaders Cheltenham.
Evatt and his men still have a chance to fulfil their pre-season ambitions, but Lawes isn’t getting too carried away yet.
“Defensively, we’ve been fantastic so that will benefit us in the long term.
"Our best player is Ricardo Santos and I don’t think it’s unreasonable to say he is the best defender in League Two. Evatt himself described Santos as ‘the best defender this side of the Championship’.
"At this stage we should be making the play-offs, but the two upcoming fixtures against Bradford and Cambridge will really show where Bolton are truly at.”
If the Trotters were to win both of the aforementioned fixtures and stretch their winning streak to eight games, it would seem an automatic promotion push is on the cards.
For now, however, Bolton fans will live for the moment and just enjoy winning again...it's been a while.
💬 L2 TALK | There are a bunch of teams in sizzling form at the moment, as the promotion battle hots up in League Two.
— playmakerstats (@playmaker_EN) March 4, 2021
Here's @olliesmith24's regular recap, this week featuring:
🔥 Six-in-a-row for #BWFC
⬆ Buoyant #BCAFC
🆕 McAnuff in at Orient
👇https://t.co/s6goLXMU4D pic.twitter.com/XuoQGGD61g
