Zach Clough ready to fire again

IT has been six months of highs then lows for young Wanderers forward Zach Clough but now he is raring to get back on track.

The 20-year-old burst onto the scene in emphatic fashion at the turn of the year, netting on his senior debut with the winner against Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup third round clash at the Macron Stadium.

Just days later he was rewarded with an extended contract until 2017.

The Denton-born academy graduate would go on to net another five goals in nine games inside two months and looked on course to end the campaign as the club's top scorer.

But a cruel injury blow against Reading in early March saw him dislocate his shoulder and his season was ended prematurely.

It was a big blow for Clough as he looked to establish himself as a first-team regular.

But that low is now behind him and the young striker is chomping at the bit to get back to prepare for his first full campaign in the senior ranks.

Clough told the club: “I’ve never had a first team pre-season, so that’s something I’m really looking forward to.

"It’s something that will stand me in good stead for next season and make sure that I’m ready to go from the first game of the new campaign.

“It’s been a bit of a mad year when you look at it.

"Last July the lads were in Sweden and I was up at Lancaster University with the Under-21s but this year I’ll be on tour with them.

“It’s been a crazy turnaround but that’s what football is about and we love it."

It may have been a blistering start but Clough could be forgiven for losing that loving feeling when he was forced off just before half time in the 1-1 home draw against Reading.

It had already been an extraordinary first 45 minutes for Neil Lennon's side with defenders Kevin McNaughton and David Wheater both forced off with injury when Clough made it an unwanted hat-trick of first-half substitutions.

He admits it remains a painful memory to have his season curtailed in such unfortunate fashion.

Clough said: “The game against Reading was one of the most surreal halves of football I’ve ever been involved in.

"To lose Kevin McNaughton and David Wheater was hard enough but then to get injured myself was a massive blow.

“When I was on the pitch, right away I knew something wasn’t right.

“I was in so much pain and I was just desperate for the doctor to put it back in place.

“When it was back in I was relieved but then there was the realisation of everything that just happened and it was all a bit of a painful blur.

“I was absolutely gutted when they said my season was over.

"I was just getting into my stride and was really enjoying my football, so it was difficult to take."

After extensive rehabilitation, Clough is expected to be fully fit to start pre-season alongside his team-mates and is already looking forward to being back in the thick of the action –particularly at the Macron Stadium in front of the home fans.

The youngster is targeting more success in front of goal next season and gunning to be top of the scoring charts for the Whites to help Lennon's men challenge at the top end of the Championship.

And if last season is anything to go by, the Macron faithful could see the rising star finding the net on a regular basis.

All six of his first-team goals came on home soil with two braces against Wolves and Watford.

And the former youth team star, who has been at the club since the age of nine, admits he loves playing in front of the Wanderers fans.

He added: "Next season for me, I’ll definitely be going for top goalscorer.

"I seem to love scoring at home as well but there’s definitely no better feeling than celebrating with your own supporters and hopefully I’ll be able to do it a lot more come August.

"Next season is going to be a big one for the club and the players but I’ve got every confidence we can get back up there to where we belong."

http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/wanderers/13347588.Young_striker_Zach_Clough_ready_to_fire_again_for_Bolton_Wanderers

I wouldn't be surprised to see him playing elsewhere.

luckyPeterpiper wrote:I wouldn't be surprised to see him playing elsewhere.

Yep matter of time before somebody bids for a kid who's played less than 15 games.

bwfc1874 wrote:

luckyPeterpiper wrote:I wouldn't be surprised to see him playing elsewhere.

Yep matter of time before somebody bids for a kid who's played less than 15 games.

He's got real promise and take a look at what's happening with the other kids. 

Actually I think we need Clough in a big way next season but I really do fear that someone from the Premier League looking to bolster their 'home grown' numbers will see him as a very cheap and effective way to help do that. Put it this way, if someone like say West Ham or Fulham came in for him could we blame him if he wanted to go? I don't think that's all that unrealistic, I'm not saying United or Chelsea will drool for him but a smaller Premier League outfit with a more limited budget might well think he's a really attractive proposition given the constraints of FFP. And given our finances could we really afford to say no or try to stand in his way if they did?

luckyPeterpiper wrote:

bwfc1874 wrote:

luckyPeterpiper wrote:I wouldn't be surprised to see him playing elsewhere.

Yep matter of time before somebody bids for a kid who's played less than 15 games.

He's got real promise and take a look at what's happening with the other kids. 

Actually I think we need Clough in a big way next season but I really do fear that someone from the Premier League looking to bolster their 'home grown' numbers will see him as a very cheap and effective way to help do that. Put it this way, if someone like say West Ham or Fulham came in for him could we blame him if he wanted to go? I don't think that's all that unrealistic, I'm not saying United or Chelsea will drool for him but a smaller Premier League outfit with a more limited budget might well think he's a really attractive proposition given the constraints of FFP. And given our finances could we really afford to say no or try to stand in his way if they did?

Fulham? Really?

Fulham's just an example of a club that might well be interested in him Barb, not meant literally. I suppose I could have said any small to medium sized club who need to add in more English players on the cheap. I could just as easily have said Stoke City or someone like them. 

But I stand by my point. We are in a hard place right now especially with the academy downgrade that means we'd get less if it came to a tribunal. Clough's definitely the sort of player who's going to attract interest because despite not having had a lot of games he's shown a real talent when he has played. With the new home grown rules and FFP to boot there's a number of mid to lower table premier league clubs who might well see him as a solution for both those issues.

You think Stoke and Fulham are at a similar level?

A similar sort of size and frankly I think the point I was making was obvious without having you nit-pick on the club's names.

luckyPeterpiper wrote:A similar sort of size and frankly I think the point I was making was obvious without having you nit-pick on the club's names.

yeah

stop nit picking you nit wit

That's told him LPP

I don't think it's nitpicking to think there's a difference between a struggling Championship side and a top half Premier League side, both in terms of the budget they have to spend on players and their respective appeal.

It's pretty central to your point actually, as if you think a side like Fulham could draw Clough away from us then you're pretty much doubling the amount of clubs you think could sign him. If you're throwing Fulham in then most of the Championship are too.

Personally I don't think he's going anywhere this summer, not proven enough yet for a side to take a punt and even Gartside will be well aware his value will only go up. Willing to make another bet if you want?

Clough has a lot more to prove before they start queuing up to buy him and TBH I'll be surprised if he's a regular starter this year.

That's a fair point 1874 but Fulham's finances are in much better shape than ours and I'd be willing to stick my neck out and say they'll be genuine contenders for at least the play offs this coming season. 

But if you look at clubs like Stoke, West Ham, even the likes of Leicester City they and several others could well see Clough as a 'two birds with one stone' solution to bringing in some young home grown talent and doing it cheaply. I know he hasn't played a huge number of games for us yet but given that the 'big' clubs are now paying silly seven and even eight figures for fifteen year olds he could well be attractive to the smaller Prem teams who can't afford to play that game.

Can't think of any fifteen year olds that have been brought by lower premier league clubs for big fees but i see your point.

Got to say though, it's very worst case scenario stuff. The likelihood is that for the moment at least, nobody's taking a punt on Clough. Should he reproduce his form for a whole season we'll have a decision to make.

Arsenal paid a million for a fifteen year old from Southampton three or four years ago and both Man City and Chelsea have been reported as approaching clubs for kids as young as thirteen. I know it's a worst case scenario mate but the fact is we're in that sort of place already. If someone like the Hammers came in and said half a million plus add ons for Clough dependent on appearances etc I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Gartside order Lennon to sell.

luckyPeterpiper wrote:Arsenal paid a million for a fifteen year old from Southampton three or four years ago and both Man City and Chelsea have been reported as approaching clubs for kids as young as thirteen. I know it's a worst case scenario mate but the fact is we're in that sort of place already. If someone like the Hammers came in and said half a million plus add ons for Clough dependent on appearances etc I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Gartside order Lennon to sell.

Fucking cheer up lpp

Get on wandering minds and leave bolton talk for a few days. Your sending yourself under