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Pawel Olkowsli might be playing catch-up at Wanderers – but Phil Parkinson reckons he will be fighting fit by the time the Championship season kicks-off in less than three weeks.
The Polish full-back trained for the first time on Monday and played his first 25 minutes for the club in the 0-0 draw with Morecambe at Lostock 24 hours later.
Parkinson is keen to get his new signing up to speed following his arrival on a free transfer from FC Koln and is set to give him more game time at the weekend, with the visit of La Liga outfit Girona to the Lancashire FA at Leyland.
“It’s a big week for him – we’ve got to catch him up without getting him injured,” he told The Bolton News.
“Pawel has got a very good pedigree. He’s played at the top level in Bundesliga and played for his country, so he knows the level he has to get to and what we want from him. He has shown a very good attitude so far.
“The problem is that he’s a little bit behind the rest of them. He has missed two weeks of pre-season. He hasn’t been totally inactive – he’s been running and kept himself going to a certain degree – but he’s got work to do.
“I think he’ll get there, though, because he’s a good athlete.”
Parkinson feels the Girona game will be the serious examination of his team, which he hopes will be supplemented by at least one more new arrival by kick-off.
Decisions were last night being made on midfielders Gary O’Neil and David Cotterill, who both featured in the Morecambe friendly, and ex-Colchester United goalkeeper Sam Walker, who played in the second half.
Last weekend’s concerts and the upcoming rugby league Challenge Cup semi-finals mean Wanderers had to shift their traditional home friendly against foreign opposition to their reserve base.
But Parkinson welcomes the chance to face top quality opposition, which finished 10th in the Spanish top flight last season.
“I’ll be doing a bit of checking up on them now that we have got the Morecambe game out of the way but we know they’ll be a good side because they’re playing in La Liga. It will be a good test for us at this stage of the season,” said the Bolton boss.
“Player-wise I’d hope we can get one or two added to the squad.”
Wanderers fans can now pay on the day at Leyland, with tickets costing £10 for adults and £5 for concessions.
Meanwhile, ex-Bolton skipper Darren Pratley has completed a move to Charlton Athletic in League One.
The 33-year-old, who spent seven years with the Whites, has penned a two-year deal at The Valley under Lee Bowyer.
“I met the manager last week and we hit it off straight away,” he said. “He was honest, told me what he wanted and told me all about the club.”
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The Polish full-back trained for the first time on Monday and played his first 25 minutes for the club in the 0-0 draw with Morecambe at Lostock 24 hours later.
Parkinson is keen to get his new signing up to speed following his arrival on a free transfer from FC Koln and is set to give him more game time at the weekend, with the visit of La Liga outfit Girona to the Lancashire FA at Leyland.
“It’s a big week for him – we’ve got to catch him up without getting him injured,” he told The Bolton News.
“Pawel has got a very good pedigree. He’s played at the top level in Bundesliga and played for his country, so he knows the level he has to get to and what we want from him. He has shown a very good attitude so far.
“The problem is that he’s a little bit behind the rest of them. He has missed two weeks of pre-season. He hasn’t been totally inactive – he’s been running and kept himself going to a certain degree – but he’s got work to do.
“I think he’ll get there, though, because he’s a good athlete.”
Parkinson feels the Girona game will be the serious examination of his team, which he hopes will be supplemented by at least one more new arrival by kick-off.
Decisions were last night being made on midfielders Gary O’Neil and David Cotterill, who both featured in the Morecambe friendly, and ex-Colchester United goalkeeper Sam Walker, who played in the second half.
Last weekend’s concerts and the upcoming rugby league Challenge Cup semi-finals mean Wanderers had to shift their traditional home friendly against foreign opposition to their reserve base.
But Parkinson welcomes the chance to face top quality opposition, which finished 10th in the Spanish top flight last season.
“I’ll be doing a bit of checking up on them now that we have got the Morecambe game out of the way but we know they’ll be a good side because they’re playing in La Liga. It will be a good test for us at this stage of the season,” said the Bolton boss.
“Player-wise I’d hope we can get one or two added to the squad.”
Wanderers fans can now pay on the day at Leyland, with tickets costing £10 for adults and £5 for concessions.
Meanwhile, ex-Bolton skipper Darren Pratley has completed a move to Charlton Athletic in League One.
The 33-year-old, who spent seven years with the Whites, has penned a two-year deal at The Valley under Lee Bowyer.
“I met the manager last week and we hit it off straight away,” he said. “He was honest, told me what he wanted and told me all about the club.”
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