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Wanderers went into the new season with question marks over the quality of their strikers but between them they mustered 58 goals in all competitions – an impressive response.
Dion Charles, Victor Adeboyejo and Jon Dadi Bodvarsson got into double figures, while new recruit Aaron Collins also bagged nine goals after signing from Bristol Rovers in the January window.
Bolton scored more goals this season than they ever have in a single campaign, yet their inability to get automatic promotion was signposted by a series of key misses in big games that could have made all the difference.
Continuing our spotlight on the Wanderers squad we examine the strikers, and what they have contributed to the season just gone.
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DION CHARLES
Got to 20 goals again despite a yawning three-month chasm between his strikes against Luton Town in the FA Cup and the penalty at Peterborough United.
John McGinlay was the last striker to manage back-to-back 20s and the Scot has been an important background figure in Charles’s progression at Bolton over the last two-and-a-half seasons.
This year wasn’t a smooth ride. There were some high-profile misses, some patches of barren form and no shortage of frustration for both. And the knee injury which kept him in check for nine games post-Wycombe proved costly.
Charles came up with the goods in the play-off semi-final at Barnsley and if there are questions about mentality elsewhere in the camp, few would look in his direction with such accusation.
Verdict: A goal-getter, a difference maker, and a thorough pain in the behind for defenders. Can Wanderers keep him for another season? 8/10.
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DAN NLUNDULU
Last season’s loan from Southampton hadn’t convinced everyone but Ian Evatt was convinced he could turn Nlundulu into a League One warrior, paying a six-figure fee to bring him in permanently.
The 25-year-old battled against a fair amount of scepticism early on, and at times the pressure told. He got lift-off, however, in the rout against Manchester United’s kids in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy, and from there we saw more regular glimpses of promise as Bolton really hit their stride as a team.
Then, 10 minutes before the end of an ultimately redundant Bristol Street Motors Trophy game against Port Vale, he suffered a major hamstring tear, the severity of the injury etched across his face as he limped from the pitch.
He showed character to get back this season at all, playing three more games in April as a substitute.
Verdict: A big test ahead for Nlundulu, both to stay fit and to reward his manager’s faith. It would be a rewarding story to see him come good. 5.5/10.
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JON DADI BODVARSSON
For every high, two lows. Nobody would have made a more popular goal-scoring hero in the latter stages of the season but, once more, a badly timed injury cost Bodvarsson the opportunity.
On the face of it, 46 appearances and 10 goals is a reasonable return. Most of his early-season football was played either from the bench or in the cup competitions but clamour from the terraces to see him more involved in the league line-up was undeniable.
Chances came at Portsmouth and at home to Bristol Rovers – both games ending in defeat – but just as Bodvarsson started to look a little more robust, he dropped down to the bench once more, with Adeboyejo taking a regular start.
All that changed a couple of months into the New Year when injuries started to take hold and Bodvarsson – refreshingly fit and confident after a late winner against Wycombe – seized the lead role.
Unfortunately, a calf injury sustained in the 1-1 home draw with Portsmouth ended that guaranteed involvement and left him watching the run-in from the side-lines.
Verdict: It was a sad way to finish for a class act at Bolton. Injuries always seemed to arrive at the worst possible times but he will always be welcomed back. 6.5/10.
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CAMERON JEROME
You would have got good odds on Bolton fans singing lovingly about the veteran striker coming into the season but, to his immense credit, he did eventually manage to gain respect for his work on and off the pitch.
For the majority of his time at Wanderers Jerome was more a mentor to the younger strikers than someone affecting games, but that dynamic did change in the latter months, as he increasingly became more of a trusted option.
Though only five of his 43 appearances in all competitions were starts, Jerome predicted that goals would follow if he could get more minutes on the pitch.
And when injuries forced him to play a more prominent role, he duly obliged, scoring in each of the last three games of the season.
Verdict: Showed the value of experience and helped to protect as many points as he earned. Hopefully gets a chance to prove that elsewhere next season. 6/10.
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AARON COLLINS
The Welshman had no shortage of pressure on his shoulders when, as the reigning League One player of the year, he was signed for £750,000 on deadline day and billed as “worth the risk” in the pursuit of automatic promotion.
A classy assist against Barnsley on his debut certainly helped – but there were a few awkward weeks as he settled into a new area away from family, growing accustomed to a completely different playing style. By the end of February, it seemed like another of Bolton’s new recruits needed time to show their best.
Almost as soon as the injuries started to stack up for Wanderers, Collins found his groove. A goal against Cambridge United the first of nine in 15 games before the end of the season, including a hat-trick in the 5-2 victory against Reading.
More encouragingly, he showed he can play alongside a more physical striker – a la Bodvarsson or Jerome – and, later on, with another goal-getter like Charles.
Verdict: While Ian Evatt will be looking to improve his out-of-possession work this summer, Collins boasts the kind of movement and penchant for the spectacular which has already made him a most watchable player. Hugely important, moving forward. 7.5/10.
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VICTOR ADEBOYEJO
Came into the season with somewhat of a point to prove, his £500,000 move from Burton Albion the previous January having not met with everyone’s satisfaction. And from late summer into autumn, Adeboyejo looked to be winning over some of those doubters.
A hat-trick against Fleetwood certainly helped but his partnership with Dion Charles looked as solid as anything Ian Evatt had at his disposal, and the Nigerian looked to be settling into a number nine position which was still relatively new to him.
His 10th and final goal of the campaign triggered a memorable comeback at his former club Barnsley, and then misfortune struck. Five minutes into the following game at Exeter Adeboyejo pulled up with a hamstring injury and limped off the field.
Three months later he did return as a substitute in both play-off semi-finals and the final itself but it was asking a lot to expect him to fire immediately into life.
As such, Adeboyejo finds himself back in a similar position, fighting to prove he can be Bolton’s reliable number nine.
Verdict: Definitely showed more of what he can offer Wanderers and 10 goals was a decent return. Now can he pick up where he left off? 6.5/10.
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Wanderers went into the new season with question marks over the quality of their strikers but between them they mustered 58 goals in all competitions – an impressive response.
Dion Charles, Victor Adeboyejo and Jon Dadi Bodvarsson got into double figures, while new recruit Aaron Collins also bagged nine goals after signing from Bristol Rovers in the January window.
Bolton scored more goals this season than they ever have in a single campaign, yet their inability to get automatic promotion was signposted by a series of key misses in big games that could have made all the difference.
Continuing our spotlight on the Wanderers squad we examine the strikers, and what they have contributed to the season just gone.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
DION CHARLES
Got to 20 goals again despite a yawning three-month chasm between his strikes against Luton Town in the FA Cup and the penalty at Peterborough United.
John McGinlay was the last striker to manage back-to-back 20s and the Scot has been an important background figure in Charles’s progression at Bolton over the last two-and-a-half seasons.
This year wasn’t a smooth ride. There were some high-profile misses, some patches of barren form and no shortage of frustration for both. And the knee injury which kept him in check for nine games post-Wycombe proved costly.
Charles came up with the goods in the play-off semi-final at Barnsley and if there are questions about mentality elsewhere in the camp, few would look in his direction with such accusation.
Verdict: A goal-getter, a difference maker, and a thorough pain in the behind for defenders. Can Wanderers keep him for another season? 8/10.
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DAN NLUNDULU
Last season’s loan from Southampton hadn’t convinced everyone but Ian Evatt was convinced he could turn Nlundulu into a League One warrior, paying a six-figure fee to bring him in permanently.
The 25-year-old battled against a fair amount of scepticism early on, and at times the pressure told. He got lift-off, however, in the rout against Manchester United’s kids in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy, and from there we saw more regular glimpses of promise as Bolton really hit their stride as a team.
Then, 10 minutes before the end of an ultimately redundant Bristol Street Motors Trophy game against Port Vale, he suffered a major hamstring tear, the severity of the injury etched across his face as he limped from the pitch.
He showed character to get back this season at all, playing three more games in April as a substitute.
Verdict: A big test ahead for Nlundulu, both to stay fit and to reward his manager’s faith. It would be a rewarding story to see him come good. 5.5/10.
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JON DADI BODVARSSON
For every high, two lows. Nobody would have made a more popular goal-scoring hero in the latter stages of the season but, once more, a badly timed injury cost Bodvarsson the opportunity.
On the face of it, 46 appearances and 10 goals is a reasonable return. Most of his early-season football was played either from the bench or in the cup competitions but clamour from the terraces to see him more involved in the league line-up was undeniable.
Chances came at Portsmouth and at home to Bristol Rovers – both games ending in defeat – but just as Bodvarsson started to look a little more robust, he dropped down to the bench once more, with Adeboyejo taking a regular start.
All that changed a couple of months into the New Year when injuries started to take hold and Bodvarsson – refreshingly fit and confident after a late winner against Wycombe – seized the lead role.
Unfortunately, a calf injury sustained in the 1-1 home draw with Portsmouth ended that guaranteed involvement and left him watching the run-in from the side-lines.
Verdict: It was a sad way to finish for a class act at Bolton. Injuries always seemed to arrive at the worst possible times but he will always be welcomed back. 6.5/10.
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CAMERON JEROME
You would have got good odds on Bolton fans singing lovingly about the veteran striker coming into the season but, to his immense credit, he did eventually manage to gain respect for his work on and off the pitch.
For the majority of his time at Wanderers Jerome was more a mentor to the younger strikers than someone affecting games, but that dynamic did change in the latter months, as he increasingly became more of a trusted option.
Though only five of his 43 appearances in all competitions were starts, Jerome predicted that goals would follow if he could get more minutes on the pitch.
And when injuries forced him to play a more prominent role, he duly obliged, scoring in each of the last three games of the season.
Verdict: Showed the value of experience and helped to protect as many points as he earned. Hopefully gets a chance to prove that elsewhere next season. 6/10.
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AARON COLLINS
The Welshman had no shortage of pressure on his shoulders when, as the reigning League One player of the year, he was signed for £750,000 on deadline day and billed as “worth the risk” in the pursuit of automatic promotion.
A classy assist against Barnsley on his debut certainly helped – but there were a few awkward weeks as he settled into a new area away from family, growing accustomed to a completely different playing style. By the end of February, it seemed like another of Bolton’s new recruits needed time to show their best.
Almost as soon as the injuries started to stack up for Wanderers, Collins found his groove. A goal against Cambridge United the first of nine in 15 games before the end of the season, including a hat-trick in the 5-2 victory against Reading.
More encouragingly, he showed he can play alongside a more physical striker – a la Bodvarsson or Jerome – and, later on, with another goal-getter like Charles.
Verdict: While Ian Evatt will be looking to improve his out-of-possession work this summer, Collins boasts the kind of movement and penchant for the spectacular which has already made him a most watchable player. Hugely important, moving forward. 7.5/10.
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VICTOR ADEBOYEJO
Came into the season with somewhat of a point to prove, his £500,000 move from Burton Albion the previous January having not met with everyone’s satisfaction. And from late summer into autumn, Adeboyejo looked to be winning over some of those doubters.
A hat-trick against Fleetwood certainly helped but his partnership with Dion Charles looked as solid as anything Ian Evatt had at his disposal, and the Nigerian looked to be settling into a number nine position which was still relatively new to him.
His 10th and final goal of the campaign triggered a memorable comeback at his former club Barnsley, and then misfortune struck. Five minutes into the following game at Exeter Adeboyejo pulled up with a hamstring injury and limped off the field.
Three months later he did return as a substitute in both play-off semi-finals and the final itself but it was asking a lot to expect him to fire immediately into life.
As such, Adeboyejo finds himself back in a similar position, fighting to prove he can be Bolton’s reliable number nine.
Verdict: Definitely showed more of what he can offer Wanderers and 10 goals was a decent return. Now can he pick up where he left off? 6.5/10.
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