Nathan Delfouneso looks in the mood to reclaim a first team spot

Nathan Delfouneso looks in the mood to reclaim a first team spot at Wanderers this season, says Ian Evatt.

The former Blackpool striker started last term as an automatic choice in attack but fell away in the second half of the campaign to spend most of his time playing off the bench.

Delfouneso still managed to finish with eight goals in all competitions, putting him level with Antoni Sarcevic as the club’s second top scorer.

But Evatt believes his former Bloomfield Road team-mate has upped a gear since returning from the summer break, and after watching him score twice in the latter stages of the game at Atherton in midweek reckons he can be a prominent player for the Whites in League One.

“I must say Nathan’s fitness has been much improved,” said the Wanderers boss. “His work ethic has been excellent.

“He looks leaner, fitter so he knows it is competitive in this squad, as they all do.

“They are all fighting for those positions and we can only pick 11 to start – but then we can only pick 18 to be involved as well.

“Nathan can play multiple positions. He can play seven, 10, 11, nine - we’ve got that ability to rotate him around, especially when we’re missing Eoin (Doyle).”

Wanderers laboured slightly in front of goal for an hour at Atherton before picking up the pace in the final stages and running out 4-0 victors.

When they finally got it right, Evatt was happy with the combinations his side produced in the final third and particularly the build-up to Delfouneso’s two strikes at the Skuna Stadium.

“If you were going to choose or look at what a Bolton Wanderers goal looks like now, it is those goals,” he said.

“The full-back overlapping or underlapping, that square cross and our nine in between the sticks finishing it off and Nathan did that well.”

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