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Wanderers may have to look for goalscoring answers from within this weekend as they head to Huddersfield Town.
Though Neil Lennon will step up his search for a striker, now a matter of more pressing urgency after the injury to Zach Clough, he is unlikely to reach out for a quick fix going into this weekend.
Max Clayton’s return from long-term injury is a timely one, but the youngster is still at least two more development squad games away from contemplating a Championship return.
Like Clough, he suits playing in behind a main target man, yet to expect him to solve the club’s lack of cutting edge up front is asking a lot of a player who has not featured competitively since mid-December.
Stephen Dobbie is a more likely option in behind either Gary Madine or Emile Heskey at the John Smiths Stadium, although Lennon still appears unconvinced as to whether the Scot is a regular starter in his team, or more useful as an impact substitute.
“He is what is – he can be wasteful with the ball at times but he knows his role here,” he said on Tuesday night after Dobbie had made a lively cameo against Sheffield Wednesday.
“He had a good 20 minutes and he’s not far away from a starting place.
“He needs some games to get up to speed and that kind of position isn’t his ideal one – but he’s a good, intelligent player.”
It is at the very focal point of attack that Lennon needs to find an alternative.
While Heskey knows he will be used primarily as a battering ram in the final 20 minutes, Madine has been asked to take the majority of the bumps and bruises from the start.
On work-rate alone, the former Sheffield Wednesday man deserves a goal but, alas, Wanderers’ recent history is flecked with industrious front men who have not scored the goals they should have done.
At one point on Tuesday night Madine missed a routine header from close range but was flagged offside, the relief on his face only just masking the torment he is clearly feeling in front of goal after a barren start to life at Bolton.
Lennon has his two target men and in Clayton, Clough, Dobbie, Wellington Silva and Liam Feeney, enough pace and guile around them.
But his squad lacks a front man with real penalty-area nous, a natural goalscorer.
Coincidentally, sat kicking his heels in the stands on Saturday could be a player who fits that bill.
Huddersfield have all-but washed their hands of James Vaughan, the one-time Everton prodigy who is well capable on his day of tearing to shred any Championship defence. His day, however, has been too few and far between as long-standing injury problems continue to bite.
The same can be said of another potential target, Nicky Maynard, who failed to hold down a regular spot at either Cardiff City or Wigan Athletic in the previous three seasons because of fitness issues.
There are no such worries over Kevin Nolan, another target whose name just won’t disappear despite both parties insisting they have not spoken with the other.
The former Whites skipper would certainly guarantee goals, given his track record, and create an instant buzz around the Macron. But serious reservations remain within the club that his wage demands would be too high, and sources insist that no contact has been made despite the continual stream of reports linking him with a return.
“I can’t put a timeline on it; indefinitely,” said Lennon, when pushed on Tuesday night about how soon he can bring a goal-getter in.
“I will speak to the chairman tomorrow and just tell him we need to bolster the squad a little bit.
“I think it’s clear we need something more in the final third.
“We lacked that little bit of quality at times just to get us over the line.
“We’re looking and we need one more in just to finish things off because we’re not so far away.”
While Wanderers have been reluctant to push his name forward too vigorously, there could yet be another joker in the pack for Saturday’s game in the form of development squad hit-man Jamie Thomas.
The Wales Under-19 international scored again for Iain Brunskill’s side against Millwall on Monday night, taking his tally to five in seven games.
And though Brunskill told The Bolton News that the youngster is still working towards a step up to senior level, one wonders whether Clough’s injury could actually open a door for another exciting academy graduate?
Source
Though Neil Lennon will step up his search for a striker, now a matter of more pressing urgency after the injury to Zach Clough, he is unlikely to reach out for a quick fix going into this weekend.
Max Clayton’s return from long-term injury is a timely one, but the youngster is still at least two more development squad games away from contemplating a Championship return.
Like Clough, he suits playing in behind a main target man, yet to expect him to solve the club’s lack of cutting edge up front is asking a lot of a player who has not featured competitively since mid-December.
Stephen Dobbie is a more likely option in behind either Gary Madine or Emile Heskey at the John Smiths Stadium, although Lennon still appears unconvinced as to whether the Scot is a regular starter in his team, or more useful as an impact substitute.
“He is what is – he can be wasteful with the ball at times but he knows his role here,” he said on Tuesday night after Dobbie had made a lively cameo against Sheffield Wednesday.
“He had a good 20 minutes and he’s not far away from a starting place.
“He needs some games to get up to speed and that kind of position isn’t his ideal one – but he’s a good, intelligent player.”
It is at the very focal point of attack that Lennon needs to find an alternative.
While Heskey knows he will be used primarily as a battering ram in the final 20 minutes, Madine has been asked to take the majority of the bumps and bruises from the start.
On work-rate alone, the former Sheffield Wednesday man deserves a goal but, alas, Wanderers’ recent history is flecked with industrious front men who have not scored the goals they should have done.
At one point on Tuesday night Madine missed a routine header from close range but was flagged offside, the relief on his face only just masking the torment he is clearly feeling in front of goal after a barren start to life at Bolton.
Lennon has his two target men and in Clayton, Clough, Dobbie, Wellington Silva and Liam Feeney, enough pace and guile around them.
But his squad lacks a front man with real penalty-area nous, a natural goalscorer.
Coincidentally, sat kicking his heels in the stands on Saturday could be a player who fits that bill.
Huddersfield have all-but washed their hands of James Vaughan, the one-time Everton prodigy who is well capable on his day of tearing to shred any Championship defence. His day, however, has been too few and far between as long-standing injury problems continue to bite.
The same can be said of another potential target, Nicky Maynard, who failed to hold down a regular spot at either Cardiff City or Wigan Athletic in the previous three seasons because of fitness issues.
There are no such worries over Kevin Nolan, another target whose name just won’t disappear despite both parties insisting they have not spoken with the other.
The former Whites skipper would certainly guarantee goals, given his track record, and create an instant buzz around the Macron. But serious reservations remain within the club that his wage demands would be too high, and sources insist that no contact has been made despite the continual stream of reports linking him with a return.
“I can’t put a timeline on it; indefinitely,” said Lennon, when pushed on Tuesday night about how soon he can bring a goal-getter in.
“I will speak to the chairman tomorrow and just tell him we need to bolster the squad a little bit.
“I think it’s clear we need something more in the final third.
“We lacked that little bit of quality at times just to get us over the line.
“We’re looking and we need one more in just to finish things off because we’re not so far away.”
While Wanderers have been reluctant to push his name forward too vigorously, there could yet be another joker in the pack for Saturday’s game in the form of development squad hit-man Jamie Thomas.
The Wales Under-19 international scored again for Iain Brunskill’s side against Millwall on Monday night, taking his tally to five in seven games.
And though Brunskill told The Bolton News that the youngster is still working towards a step up to senior level, one wonders whether Clough’s injury could actually open a door for another exciting academy graduate?
Source
He is a tryer but his crossing is a big let down. then on the otherhand his finish against Wolves was good. I can't see him as a striker myself but it can't be any worse than we already are up front surely?