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When it comes to getting the job done at Wembley, Cameron Jerome has been there and got the medal.
A Carling Cup winner with Birmingham City in 2011, a Championship play-off winner with Norwich City in 2015, and closing in on 700 career appearances.
No wonder, then, that Ian Evatt picked him out as the perfect player to guide some of his younger players in the heat of a promotion race.
His unbeaten record at Wembley might come in useful too next week, with Jerome ready to play his part in the squad to face Plymouth Argyle in the Papa Johns Trophy final.
With Shola Shoretire and Victor Adeboyejo cup tied and another of the squad’s experienced heads, Jon Dadi Bodvarsson injured, there is an added onus on the former Cardiff City and Luton Town man to make his know-how count, whether it is as a starter, or from the bench.
“I realise at this stage of my career that you can have an impact on and off the pitch, that comes with maturity and experience,” said Jerome, asked if he was content to play ‘super sub’ at Bolton.
“I’m still hungry to play every minute of every game and once you get on to the pitch then that same buzz of excitement runs through you like it did when you were a teenager. But I have also been in the game long enough to know I can affect things as a substitute as well.
“Presence around the place and the experience I have had in promotion pushes and finals, I have been there and done it, I know what it takes when it comes to this stage of the season and playing in front of sold-out stadiums.
“There are young lads in the squad who might not know what that is like but now they have someone beside them who can calm things down, speak to people.”
The pressures of a heavy workload, a play-off challenge and a Wembley final have weighed heavy on some Wanderers in recent weeks. Jerome is now free from a back injury which has restricted his time on the pitch thus far, and is happy to take on responsibility at the business end of the campaign.
“It comes with experience,” he said. “Once you have trodden the path once you know how to navigate yourself through rough times, maybe you are a goal down and it’s a case of managing the group to make sure you don’t go two or three down. You keep yourself in the game or in the tie.
“When you are ahead, how do you make sure you stay there? Tricks of the trade, learning game management. Learning when to turn up the heat and when you need to come off the boil a little bit.
“You only get that when you have played a lot of games. It isn’t easy to replicate.
“Some players will come in, no age at all, and go in with no fear. Predominantly in the big games, though, you do need a helping hand from players who have been through those pressured circumstances, whether that’s on the pitch, in the dressing room, in the build-up. That way you can come out on top.”
Jerome dropped into League One for only the second time in his career, the previous stint a short time with MK Dons in 2020/21. Having heard the role Evatt wanted him to play, he felt confident that Championship football was still a possibility next season.
“When I spoke to the manager he felt like I was something he needed, a bit of experience and guile around the changing room, and also being able to contribute on the pitch as well,” he said.
“I came here with the club in a fantastic position, so it is a great opportunity this year.
“There are some big clubs in this league and it can be easy to get stuck in here for a long time, as other have shown previously. But I think the club is making progress and hasn’t tried to run before it can walk. Obviously it has been at great heights and low lows of the last few years, so it is probably now at more of a transitional period and building the club back up again to where it was previously, piece by piece.
“It doesn’t happen overnight and can only be achieved by having the right people around the team and the club. That seems to be here now and it has translated with results on the pitch because the club has been challenging all season.”
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