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It has been a reoccurring theme throughout Will Forrester’s football career that opportunity has knocked ahead of schedule.
In just over two years since he first pulled on a shirt for his boyhood club Stoke – scoring on his debut against Bournemouth – the young defender has packed in a controversial cross-city move to Port Vale and a big money move to Wanderers.
Now, a little more than a week after his move to the Toughsheet was confirmed, he has suddenly found himself elevated in the pecking order by injuries to Eoin Toal and, more seriously, George Johnston.
Forrester arrived at Bolton to challenge for a place with five other centre-halves, with the added advantage of being able to play in any of the three defensive positions.
But with Ian Evatt’s options now limited and just three weeks remaining before the season opener against Lincoln City, the 22-year-old born down the road from Alton Towers is looking to fast-track himself again.
“Football and the world we live in is cruel sometimes, and the injury that happened nobody would wish that on him at all,” he said of Johnston’s misfortune at Bamber Bridge. “But sometimes that kind of thing creates opportunities for other players and hopefully I can get a good pre-season under my belt now and give the gaffer some thoughts for the first game of the season.”
Saturday’s trip to Chester is the third friendly of six and will be followed by games against league clubs in Salford City, Everton and West Brom.
The importance of friendlies is often debated, particularly in the light of Johnston’s misfortune 10 minutes into last Saturday’s match. But for a new addition like Forrester there is a real incentive to catch the eye.
“You have to treat every game as your last, I like to think, so it is important to give your all and try to give the manager something to think about,” he said. “It is a good thing that he has options, even though the number has come down a bit. These games are enjoyable and it is good to get some minutes and what we need out of them.
“I know I have only been here a week but I feel like I have built a decent connection with everyone I have played with so far, especially the players at the back.
“Pre-season is all about trying different things and building some chemistry up, so then if you are called upon in the season then everyone has got that relationship you need.
“All the lads have been great with me so far. I have really enjoyed it.”
Forrester’s move from Port Vale felt a little left-field, given all attention was fixed on which midfielders and full-backs Evatt would bring in to strengthen his squad.
And he admits the speed at which the process went through caught him by surprise.
“I heard about it a couple of weeks before but thought nothing of it, I thought it was just talk,” he said. “Then about four days before I spoke to my agent and he said that Bolton wanted to do the deal, so as soon as I knew that I wanted to get it done straight away. It did get done pretty quickly after that, no messing around, and I’m delighted to be here now.
“It is a massive club to represent, and I am just looking forward to helping them, do my bit, getting them back to where it belongs. Obviously, last year it fell just a little bit short but hopefully this year we can go that extra step and get the promotion that everyone wants.”
Forrester played just four times for Stoke’s first team and made a further appearance for the Under-21s in the Football League Trophy but his promise was such that the club wanted to tie him down to a long-term deal in the summer of 2022.
Having got a taste for more regular football in a loan spell with Mansfield, the defender made a bold move to turn down Stoke’s offer to push through a move to their local rivals Vale.
“I enjoyed my time at Stoke but coming away and getting that regular football at Port Vale was exactly the reason I made the move,” he said.
“I will always be grateful to them for making me the player I am today but it was the right time for a move and I’m grateful to Port Vale as well for what they did because I feel like I developed more in that first proper season of men’s football. I really enjoyed it.
“And the fact I am stood here now as a Bolton Wanderers player shows I had a decent season. I know there is still a lot more to come, so hopefully I can kick on now and see what happens.
“I did OK against Bolton – that must have helped too!”
Crossing between the two Potteries teams is a feat that hadn’t happened in some 40 years, and was always bound to make some local headlines.
Forrester admits he did get some flak at the time but looks back on it as a pivotal decision in his career thus far.
“I don’t know what the stat is but I was the first player in God knows how many years to do it, so it was a big thing at the time,” he said. “It was a tough one to deal with and I did take some abuse, to be fair, but it was the right move for me and I had to be selfish at that time in my career.
“I am still over the moon that I made that move.”
Wanderers have picked up two wins out of two in pre-season thus far with Forrester playing a big part in one of the goals on Tuesday night at Curzon Ashton.
He nearly got one himself, narrowly failing to get a boot on a devilish pass from Aaron Morley, and the youngster has told Bolton supporters to expect to see him pop up in the opposition half more often.
“That is what I pride myself on, stepping in with the ball into midfield, trying to break lines with my passes,” he said. “I’d had a conversation before I signed with the gaffer and that is how he has scouted me and how he wants me to play.
“It will be different – I mean, we tried to play a little bit at Port Vale but here it’s play, play, play, play,” he said. “That is what I am about and what I was brought up doing. I love the way they play and I can’t wait to be a part of it.
“I feel like I will fit right in there and can’t wait for the season to start now.”
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