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Jon Dadi Bodvarsson is only too happy to walk into promotion pressure with Wanderers.
Side-lined with an ankle injury since January, the Icelandic striker could only watch on as Ian Evatt’s side won the Papa Johns Trophy at Wembley but then fell just short in the play-off semi-finals last season.
Now fit again and with his contract renewed, Bodvarsson reported back for duty to find the mood had changed from the one he left behind.
“I can feel it in the atmosphere around the club and from the fans’ perspective,” he told The Bolton News. “There has been a steady improvement every season, from promotion out of League Two, then next season we did alright, play-offs last season. People want that again.
“Players, staff, everyone around the club have high expectations now but we have to put that into action. It is one thing to sit here and talk about it, but we have to do the job, which is the hardest bit.”
Putting words into action should come as some relief to the 31-year-old, who has just come off the longest injury lay-off of his career.
“The only injuries I had were the occasional hamstring pulls, or bits like that, but this is the first time I ever had surgery,” he said.
“All of a sudden I got it all in one full flow. I broke my nose then a couple of weeks later that happened to my ankle, so I kept being put asleep for surgery. It turned into a habit!
“It was the timing of it, as well, I felt like I was starting to gain some momentum and getting some consistency, then this happens. When Matt (Barrass) told me the news over the phone and said it would be the end of the season, I honestly wanted to cry.
“It had never happened to me before, that long of an injury, so it was definitely a challenge for me, mentally. It is something I have never experienced.”
Bodvarsson did return to training in late April but not soon enough to be considered for the two-legged play-off against Barnsley. And after such a long time on the outside, the striker says he is appreciating being in the thick of the squad even more now he is back out on the training ground.
“I am so excited,” he said. “I was giddy before pre-season, so excited about what was coming up,” he said.
“And in a weird way sometimes these setbacks can benefit you, mentally, because you get some time to sit back and look at yourself, try to get a better perspective of where you are in your career. I felt like I learned a lot, even though I wasn’t playing football.
“You can still work on your game, even though you are not on the pitch.”
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