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James Trafford knows exactly what he wants for a leaving gift when he goes back to Manchester City in the summer.
By his own admission, the England Under-21 goalkeeper has grown up at the University of Bolton Stadium over the last year, managing to topple a number of club records.
He became the first keeper to record four clean sheets in his first four games, and on Saturday extended a club high run of consecutive clean sheets to eight. It is now more than 13 hours of solid football since Trafford picked the ball out of his home net.
Ian Evatt said last week that he expects Trafford to go back and challenge Ederson in the Premier League, such has been his rapid improvement during two loan spells.
But before he goes back to the Etihad, the 20-year-old has designs on helping Wanderers get promoted and lift the Papa Johns Trophy.
“It’s exciting but I don’t want to think too much about the future,” he said of a potential City return. “There’s no point because then you’d not be focussing on the present.
“Everyone around me, all the coaches I have had in football, they just say to focus on that next game, then the next.
“We have goals and ambitions for this season at Bolton, things we want to achieve.
“Going to Wembley would be a lovely way to finish but it would only be good if we won there. If at the start of season someone had said I’d get to play there I’d have been more than pleased because there are some players who never get to play there. At 20 it would be great.”
Trafford has weekly updates with City goalkeeper coach Xabi Mancisidor but acknowledges the role Matt Gilks has played in his career at Wanderers.
“I speak with Xabi every week and they are happy – but I have things to improve on, and he keeps telling me that,” the youngster said.
“Gillo has been great, especially coming in at this time last year from Accrington, my confidence wasn’t the highest. I feel like a different person now, I have grown up loads and he helped that.
“He has helped me be myself, keep embracing what I am. Anyone who knows him in football knows that is what he did.
“We are at different stages of our career and he’s retired to be a coach now but he played 500-600 games, whereas I haven’t played 100 yet. He helps me with things in-game that other people just can’t help me with.”
Trafford recalls the lukewarm reception he got at Bolton a year ago, when many fans wondered if he had the requisite experience to be Bolton’s regular number one after a disappointing loan spell down the road at Accrington.
“I can smile about it now because now I don’t have Twitter – there’s just no point,” he said.
“Regardless of what you do, you get battered. People will message you with negative stuff.
“I’d only played 11 games but it was what it was – I was happy to prove people wrong. And then once I’d got over the hill I just enjoyed performing.
“Having that half season then the whole of pre-season as well, it feels settled. The lads are just brilliant and the day I leave I will speak to most of them, be good mates with them, because we are really close.
“It is a great club. It has allowed me to enjoy myself and develop.”
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