Interview with Bolton winger Oladapo Afolayan...

The latest edition of our fanzine 'The Mighty Delta' launched last week, and its star attraction was our countdown of the 'Best 72 in The 72' in 2021/22 - which included an exclusive interview with Bolton Wanderers winger Oladapo Afolayan.

Here's a section of our in-depth interview with Dapo, who charted at 33 in our list of the EFL's top performers, for you to enjoy. 

If you haven't already, please join our mailing list to get FREE a copy of Issue Seven of the Delta and all future zines pinged directly into your inbox. 

Are you happy with your ranking of 33, Dapo?

Well, there's a lot of good players in the EFL…I'm happy to make the 'Top 40', especially with this being my first full season. I made Number 37 in the FourFourTwo list, so I'm a bit higher than that!

You've obviously enjoyed a fabulous season. What have your personal highlights been?

I think for me it has to be Ipswich away on my birthday. I scored two goals and we won 5-2, which was a massive result for us.  The other one would be Sunderland at home when we won 6-0 and I got an assist. That was an incredible result. 

Those two games really stick out.

You joined Bolton when they were in the bottom half of League 2 and you've just finished ninth in League One. What's that journey and adventure been like? 

It's one of those things where maybe I won't really realise how good it's been until the end of my career as, since I've joined, it's been constant football. It's been a whirlwind, but yeah, it's been amazing so far and we know there are still areas for us to improve in.
We've seen the standards in League One this season and now we want to take that next step.

©Getty /

Good question. One single defender doesn't really stand out, as the main issue for me has been when teams have doubled or tripled up on me.

I'd probably say Rotherham and Wes Harding, though. He came on specifically to mark me and made my life difficult!

Even if defenders play me well, though, I always know that I just need to go past them once to set up a goal. 

You've become a crowd favourite at the UniBol. Do you see yourself as an entertainer?

100% - that's a big part of football. People pay their money to come and see good goals, big tackles, things like that. 

As an attacker, I try to express myself and beat people 1v1, as not only does it help the team, but it also gets people's bums off seats. 

What aspects of your game do you feel you've really improved this season?

Obviously in terms of my goals and assists, but also defensively and tactically I've been better for the team. I've been able to adapt to different systems and formations, especially in the second half of the season.
My dribbling is coming on and my physicality is improving: my strength and my speed. 

Any targets for next season?

I want to hit 20 goals and be consistent in my performances. This season has gone well, but it doesn't mean anything if I don't back it up.

Here's the full digital version of Issue Seven of the Delta...enjoy!

🌞 THE MIGHTY DELTA 7⃣

🔢 A countdown of 2021/22's best #EFL performers
🗨 Interviews w/ @davisjames10 + @dapo_afolayan
🍔 The best + worst @FootyScran
➕ loads more!

🗞 Join our mailing list for your FREE digital mag 👇https://t.co/FjZpGaDTkH pic.twitter.com/TvGxfMVdWU

— playmakerstats (@playmaker_EN) May 27, 2022