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Liam Trotter has had to wait a while to get his Wanderers career off the ground but with the help of tomorrow’s opponents Nottingham Forest he might just have achieved it.
From the day Dougie Freedman brought him to the Macron Stadium from Millwall, something hasn’t quite clicked for the imposing yet softly-spoken midfielder.
Introduced by a manager at odds with his club’s fans, it wasn’t the ideal start to life in the North West. Injuries took their toll and once Freedman had left the club, Trotter struggled to win Neil Lennon’s backing in a system his game should really suit.
When Freedman sought to take the 27-year-old to the City Ground in November with one eye on a permanent deal, the severing of ties seemed the best solution for both parties. Football rarely runs that smoothly, however, and when Forest had to send him back because of their own financial issues, limbo was waiting again.
This time, though, Trotter returned to Wanderers with fitness on his side. After nine appearances in the East Midlands he slipped straight into a Whites side lacking the unavailable Mark Davies and put in arguably his best performance in a Bolton shirt in the midweek defeat at Sheffield Wednesday.
Now, returning to the City Ground just a few weeks after he left, Trotter is hoping his luck has finally changed.
“It hasn’t happened for me yet,” he told The Bolton News. “It has been stop-start, putting it mildly.
“Injuries weren’t my fault though every player goes through a spell in their career where they get injuries that stalls their career. Hopefully I am past that.
“But I want to do well for this club. I am very thankful to be here. I just want to do my best and play a part in helping the club stay up.
“It will be a strange experience going back to Forest so soon. I made a few friends there and there are some good lads.
“I am close with the manager too. I look forward to going back and hopefully I will have some inside knowledge I can pass on.
“I am confident if we play like we did at Sheffield Wednesday we can come away with something.”
Trotter insists he never completely gave up on his chances at Wanderers but the chance to work again with Freedman and get some first-team football was difficult to turn down at the end of last year.
“Dougie shows a lot of faith in me,” he said. “He brought me to Bolton which I was thankful for because it is a great club and I want to be here.
“When I left Forest, him and Lennie (Lawrence) said a big thank you to me because I came in when they needed someone.
“Hopefully, I went in there and helped them and they helped me by giving me a chance to play games and get fit.”
Walking back into a situation at Wanderers best described as “difficult” doesn’t seem to have fazed Trotter, who is keen to keep his focus on the pitch.
“I can’t comment on that because I have been away for the last three months,” he said. “My focus hasn’t been on Bolton Wanderers because I was at Nottingham Forest.
“Now, I am back I can’t say I have paid too much interest to what has happened. There’s only one thing I can do or effect and that’s play football. Apart from that everything is out of my hands.
“It’s never nice to lose games and be bottom of the league. It is difficult for everyone involved, especially the fans.
“Sometimes you have ups and sometimes you have downs. It’s about how you react and how you work through it.
“We have still got a long way to go in the season so we have to keep working hard. And if we keep performing like we did against Sheffield Wednesday, more often than not we will come away with a point, if not all three.”
Trotter isn’t sure what kind of reception he will get at the City Ground tomorrow.
“I helped the team out and played my part in an unbeaten run,” he said. “It will be tough for us but the fans were good to me when I was there so hopefully they will give me a decent reception. But it is football so you never know.”
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From the day Dougie Freedman brought him to the Macron Stadium from Millwall, something hasn’t quite clicked for the imposing yet softly-spoken midfielder.
Introduced by a manager at odds with his club’s fans, it wasn’t the ideal start to life in the North West. Injuries took their toll and once Freedman had left the club, Trotter struggled to win Neil Lennon’s backing in a system his game should really suit.
When Freedman sought to take the 27-year-old to the City Ground in November with one eye on a permanent deal, the severing of ties seemed the best solution for both parties. Football rarely runs that smoothly, however, and when Forest had to send him back because of their own financial issues, limbo was waiting again.
This time, though, Trotter returned to Wanderers with fitness on his side. After nine appearances in the East Midlands he slipped straight into a Whites side lacking the unavailable Mark Davies and put in arguably his best performance in a Bolton shirt in the midweek defeat at Sheffield Wednesday.
Now, returning to the City Ground just a few weeks after he left, Trotter is hoping his luck has finally changed.
“It hasn’t happened for me yet,” he told The Bolton News. “It has been stop-start, putting it mildly.
“Injuries weren’t my fault though every player goes through a spell in their career where they get injuries that stalls their career. Hopefully I am past that.
“But I want to do well for this club. I am very thankful to be here. I just want to do my best and play a part in helping the club stay up.
“It will be a strange experience going back to Forest so soon. I made a few friends there and there are some good lads.
“I am close with the manager too. I look forward to going back and hopefully I will have some inside knowledge I can pass on.
“I am confident if we play like we did at Sheffield Wednesday we can come away with something.”
Trotter insists he never completely gave up on his chances at Wanderers but the chance to work again with Freedman and get some first-team football was difficult to turn down at the end of last year.
“Dougie shows a lot of faith in me,” he said. “He brought me to Bolton which I was thankful for because it is a great club and I want to be here.
“When I left Forest, him and Lennie (Lawrence) said a big thank you to me because I came in when they needed someone.
“Hopefully, I went in there and helped them and they helped me by giving me a chance to play games and get fit.”
Walking back into a situation at Wanderers best described as “difficult” doesn’t seem to have fazed Trotter, who is keen to keep his focus on the pitch.
“I can’t comment on that because I have been away for the last three months,” he said. “My focus hasn’t been on Bolton Wanderers because I was at Nottingham Forest.
“Now, I am back I can’t say I have paid too much interest to what has happened. There’s only one thing I can do or effect and that’s play football. Apart from that everything is out of my hands.
“It’s never nice to lose games and be bottom of the league. It is difficult for everyone involved, especially the fans.
“Sometimes you have ups and sometimes you have downs. It’s about how you react and how you work through it.
“We have still got a long way to go in the season so we have to keep working hard. And if we keep performing like we did against Sheffield Wednesday, more often than not we will come away with a point, if not all three.”
Trotter isn’t sure what kind of reception he will get at the City Ground tomorrow.
“I helped the team out and played my part in an unbeaten run,” he said. “It will be tough for us but the fans were good to me when I was there so hopefully they will give me a decent reception. But it is football so you never know.”
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