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If the decision to play Dapo Afolayan at wing-back caused a stir among the Bolton Wanderers fans, it is safe to say the man involved took it all in his stride.
Chilled out, still in full kit, and perched on a metal fence minutes after the final whistle at Accrington, you might have thought last season’s player of the year had spent the afternoon with his feet up, rather than dazzling the home defence and netting the winning goal.
More surprising than anything else was that Afolayan claims he has played the position before – so whether he lines up in a 3-4-1-2, 4-3-3 or otherwise against Burton Albion tonight, there will be no histrionics.
“Honestly, I was just excited to try it,” shrugged last season’s top scorer, now somewhat of a jack of all trades. “I felt comfortable, and I’d played there a couple of times towards the end of last season so it wasn’t really uncommon.
“I think to be a good footballer and to play at a higher level you have to be able to play in different positions and to understand the game properly, from different angles.
“I wasn’t nervous about playing it – I just wanted to take it on, give it a go.”
Afolayan scored the winning goal, ensuring his majority stake in the headlines, but he was quick to acknowledge the impact made by Jack Iredale, George Thomason and Elias Kachunga when they came into the game at the Wham Stadium.
Whereas much has been made about Ian Evatt’s change of formation, and whether its’ success will shape his thoughts in the future, Afolayan felt his manager simply reacted to the circumstances of the game.
“I think the changes helped us towards the end,” he said. “They gave us a different impetus. The team we started with could and should have won the game – but sometimes the way the other team set up you have to counter-act it, you have to change it during the course and affect them.
“When we got more attacking players on the pitch they took a step back and it was harder to contain us. “It was good, and it was all down to the squad.”
Wanderers return to home turf for the next two games against teams who have struggled to find consistency in the opening couple of months.
Burton Albion are first up tonight, one of just two Football League opponents that Bolton have never managed to vanquish.
Afolayan hopes some momentum can spill over from the weekend, and ensure that Sutton United are the only club left on the Wanderers’ radar from here on in.
“Away wins in that manner are always the best, especially when you see the fans – there were so many of them,” he said.
“We have to take belief and confidence into the next few games now. Going back home, we know what we can do there.
“Burton will be a difficult test. We played against them on Sky Sports and they held out for a 0-0, made life hard for us. But we have to go into that game with some energy and really try to impose ourselves on it.”
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