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Planning for life after James Trafford and Conor Bradley was always going to be a big step for Ian Evatt and Wanderers this summer.
Such had been the loan pair’s importance to the cause last season, extra pressure was a given for whichever player next stepped into their boots at Bolton.
And that was only amplified after Trafford’s heroics for England’s Under-21s on Saturday evening – his stoppage time penalty save arriving before most Whites fans had dried out from their soaking at Bamber Bridge.
Nathan Baxter, the goalkeeper recruited from Chelsea, and Josh Dacres-Cogley, the wing-back signed from Tranmere Rovers, lucked out with the ‘sunnier’ half of football in the friendly. And each gave a few hints as to what they can add to a squad aiming for automatic promotion.
Evatt is aware that all eyes will be on his new signings but is confident they can both make the position their own.
“The team always has to evolve, and everyone will look at the losses of Conor Bradley and James Trafford and wonder how we are going to replace them,” he told The Bolton News.
“It looks as though James will be moving for £19million this week. So, I think we did something right, it’s just a shame we didn’t own him!
“Nathan has taken that shirt and really embraced the challenge. I think he will be an excellent signing for us and you could see it out there, he is very confident, very vocal.
“Likewise with Josh, he is ready to step into those boots that Conor left behind. He’s a slightly different type of player but he has some really good skillsets and we’re looking forward to working with him.”
Dacres-Cogley has experience of Championship football with Birmingham City but after failing to become a regular with the Blues, dropped down to League Two with Tranmere two years ago in pursuit of more playing time. There were no such issues at Prenton Park, where he played virtually every game over the last two seasons.
Though the Birkenhead club offered an extended contract at the end of 2022, it became clear that the defender was looking to test himself further up the league once more, and after reports from January onwards had claimed Aberdeen, Bristol Rovers, Lincoln City and Port Vale had all been queueing to sign him, Bolton proved successful.
Whether Dacres-Cogley automatically becomes Wanderers’ first choice right wing-back remains to be seen, and it looks likely that Evatt will attempt to mirror what he has done on the left side of his defence with Jack Iredale, Declan John and Randell Williams all vying for a spot, their selection depending on the type of opposition.
Though he played for only 45 minutes in a largely disjointed team performance, Dacres-Cogley’s pace was difficult to miss.
“He is athletically excellent,” Evatt observed. “Obviously, it was the first time he had played for us in a competitive match, and we need to get him used to doing the things we require him to do.
“The relationships on the pitch will build over time with each game, and I saw some excellent things from him. He has electric pace, elite athleticism, and it is really only about refining the stuff in the final third of the pitch and what we require from him defensively.”
For Baxter, any sort of assessment on his performance may have to wait until Wanderers come up against stiffer opposition. What was clear, however, from his 45 minutes on the pitch at the Sir Tom Finney Stadium was that Bolton’s new goalkeeper is comfortable on the ball and more than willing to join in with his centre-backs to help them move the ball up the pitch.
“When you have been at Chelsea from the age of nine or 10 to 24, you have to develop on the ball because that is the way they play, full stop,” Evatt added.
“These games are all about building relationships. You can do all the work you want in training but nothing is going to replicate what you do in a game.
“It will take time to build things. For instance, when we are playing out to the third line and our wing-backs and making out to in runs to get in behind, Nathan is still kicking it wide expecting them to be wide. We will work on those relationships but the first signs have been very positive.”
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