Season Preview - Bolton Wanderers

Season Preview - Bolton Wanderers

Bolton Wanderers achieved promotion from League One at the first attempt.

The Trotters faced a season out of the Championship, after going down in April 2016, however bounced back up after finishing second on 86 points.

We spoke to Chris from Burnden Aces about their chances this season.

"We desperately need to add numbers to the squad, but morale is high after finally finding a winning mentality last season after years of decline."

"The supporters can't wait for the new season to start - fingers crossed we'll still have that feel-good factor by the time August ends!"

"Let's not get carried away by the fact that we came up in good form. Things have changed at Bolton since our relegation in 2016 and we're a better club as a result, but we went down for a reason and the Championship has improved during our time away."

"I don't see us having the same struggles as last time we were here, but avoiding the drop would have to be considered a success and a platform to continue our rebuilding job."

When asked which players would be key for Bolton Wanderers, Chris said that "it remains to be seen who will be added to the squad but the likes of Adam Le Fondre, Jem Karacan and your old-boy David Wheater all have Premier League experience and are likely to be regulars this season."

This is also a big test for Josh Vela. He was deployed as a utility man under Neil Lennon, but a return to his natural midfield position brought out the best in him last season and Phil Parkinson will surely keep faith with the academy graduate.

Finally, when discussing which fixtures Bolton fans will be looking forward to he says "with Blackburn Rovers and Wigan Athletic going down last season, we're left with Preston North End as our only North West derby - one which fans of neither club would really consider a rivalry."

"I wouldn't really pick out one key fixture, but it will be good to come up against opposition in the form of yourselves, Sunderland and Aston Villa again. Midweek trips to Bristol Rovers and Gillingham provided experiences our fans haven't had for a generation, but it's good to be back in amongst some of the bigger sides.

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