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Conor Wilkinson could reach “the very top” if he applies himself at Wanderers.
That’s the view of ex-Whites defender Dean Holden, who got a close look at the young striker whilst in caretaker charge of Oldham Athletic this season.
After earning his spurs in League One during two loan spells with the Latics, the Republic of Ireland Under-21 international will come back to Bolton in pre-season looking to resume the bright start he made in the Championship.
And Holden, now assistant to Darren Kelly at Oldham, believes the Londoner can be a success for Neil Lennon if he gives it his all on and off the field.
“Conor has got all the attributes you’d want, power, heading, a great left foot and an eye for goal,” he told The Bolton News.
“If he knuckles down and works at some aspects of his game then I don’t see why he can’t be a regular at Championship level, even above.
"He has got the raw tools to make the very top.
“I’ve said to him directly, though, that he needs to take responsibility for where he goes in the game.
"Nothing will just get handed to him; he’s got to work hard for it.”
Wilkinson had already made his first-team bow with Bolton by the time he began the first of two spells on loan at Boundary Park.
The powerful 20-year-old then caught the eye of Neil Lennon, who gave him a first Championship start against Ipswich in December and also threw him on for more than half an hour at Anfield in the unforgettable FA Cup clash the following month.
Wilkinson’s stock was high by the time he went back to Latics for a second spell, looking to fire them out of relegation danger. But two weeks after his arrival, manager Lee Johnson left for Barnsley, leaving Holden to pick up the pieces.
“He came back and scored some very important goals for us,” said the fondly-remembered right-back, who played for the Whites under Sam Allardyce at the turn of the millennium.
“I remember him starting the game against Swindon and only playing about 20 minutes but he absolutely tore them to shreds, and you’ve seen what a good team they turned out to be.
“He came on against Crewe in another really important game and scored, which gave us three points we really needed at the time.”
Wilkinson finished with three goals in 18 appearances and also signed a new deal with Wanderers which keeps him at the club until 2018.
Holden believes there will be plenty of managers keeping an eye on his progress.
“It’s down to him what happens now, and I’ve told him that one-on-one, he’s got everything in his locker,” he said.
Luke Woodland was another player Holden got a close look at during his 15 games at the helm – and although the 19-year-old will be released by Wanderers next month, the Latics coach believes he has a good future in the game.
“I get to see quite a lot of the Bolton Under-21s so I’d seen Luke a lot before I brought him in,” he said. “We’d lost our captain so we needed someone we could really rely on in midfield.
“I think he was man of the match the first three times he played. He reminded me a bit of myself, in that he just wanted to play, get out there and impress.
“He got six games for us before picking up a calf injury but his last game summed him up – he was playing Bristol City who absolutely romped the division, and he was holding his own against some very good players like Korey Smith and Marlon Pack.
“It’s a shame when any player gets let go but I really hope Luke gets his chance because he’s definitely shown the right attitude in the time he spent with us.”
Holden has been working hard for the last four years to gain his coaching badges and enjoyed his first taste of management.
"I loved every single minute of it," he said.
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That’s the view of ex-Whites defender Dean Holden, who got a close look at the young striker whilst in caretaker charge of Oldham Athletic this season.
After earning his spurs in League One during two loan spells with the Latics, the Republic of Ireland Under-21 international will come back to Bolton in pre-season looking to resume the bright start he made in the Championship.
And Holden, now assistant to Darren Kelly at Oldham, believes the Londoner can be a success for Neil Lennon if he gives it his all on and off the field.
“Conor has got all the attributes you’d want, power, heading, a great left foot and an eye for goal,” he told The Bolton News.
“If he knuckles down and works at some aspects of his game then I don’t see why he can’t be a regular at Championship level, even above.
"He has got the raw tools to make the very top.
“I’ve said to him directly, though, that he needs to take responsibility for where he goes in the game.
"Nothing will just get handed to him; he’s got to work hard for it.”
Wilkinson had already made his first-team bow with Bolton by the time he began the first of two spells on loan at Boundary Park.
The powerful 20-year-old then caught the eye of Neil Lennon, who gave him a first Championship start against Ipswich in December and also threw him on for more than half an hour at Anfield in the unforgettable FA Cup clash the following month.
Wilkinson’s stock was high by the time he went back to Latics for a second spell, looking to fire them out of relegation danger. But two weeks after his arrival, manager Lee Johnson left for Barnsley, leaving Holden to pick up the pieces.
“He came back and scored some very important goals for us,” said the fondly-remembered right-back, who played for the Whites under Sam Allardyce at the turn of the millennium.
“I remember him starting the game against Swindon and only playing about 20 minutes but he absolutely tore them to shreds, and you’ve seen what a good team they turned out to be.
“He came on against Crewe in another really important game and scored, which gave us three points we really needed at the time.”
Wilkinson finished with three goals in 18 appearances and also signed a new deal with Wanderers which keeps him at the club until 2018.
Holden believes there will be plenty of managers keeping an eye on his progress.
“It’s down to him what happens now, and I’ve told him that one-on-one, he’s got everything in his locker,” he said.
Luke Woodland was another player Holden got a close look at during his 15 games at the helm – and although the 19-year-old will be released by Wanderers next month, the Latics coach believes he has a good future in the game.
“I get to see quite a lot of the Bolton Under-21s so I’d seen Luke a lot before I brought him in,” he said. “We’d lost our captain so we needed someone we could really rely on in midfield.
“I think he was man of the match the first three times he played. He reminded me a bit of myself, in that he just wanted to play, get out there and impress.
“He got six games for us before picking up a calf injury but his last game summed him up – he was playing Bristol City who absolutely romped the division, and he was holding his own against some very good players like Korey Smith and Marlon Pack.
“It’s a shame when any player gets let go but I really hope Luke gets his chance because he’s definitely shown the right attitude in the time he spent with us.”
Holden has been working hard for the last four years to gain his coaching badges and enjoyed his first taste of management.
"I loved every single minute of it," he said.
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