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Will Forrester believes he is long overdue a spell of good fortune in a Bolton Wanderers shirt.
Since signing from Port Vale last summer the centre-back has seemingly been stuck on a loop of disruptive injuries and short-lived comebacks, which have prevented him from really getting traction in the first team picture.
The latest absence, a broken toe which needed surgery after he slipped down some stairs, was especially galling, as it had nothing to do with what had happened on the pitch.
After assuring The Bolton News he had not broken a mirror, walked under a ladder or opened an umbrella indoors, Forrester says he is now ready to make his own luck.
“Don’t even get me started, it has been a tough few months,” he told us. “First game of the season doing that, it was a nightmare. But I am fully back and recovered now, so I need to keep my fitness up now and move on from it.
“I’m not superstitious but it feels like I have had bad luck. I had this chat with the manager when I did it, and it always seemed to be the case that I get myself in the team, do well, but then something will happen which sets me back.
“Hopefully my luck can change now, I pray to God it does anyway, and I can stay injury free and available for selection.”
When fit, Forrester has shown himself to be a quality option for Ian Evatt, particularly against the sort of blood and thunder faced at Stevenage on Tuesday night.
The 23-year-old played 24 times last season and scored his first Bolton goal in the FA Cup first round win against Solihull Moors, but notably just nine of his starts came in League One.
Two substitute appearances in the last week have edged him closer to another start, and Eoin Toal’s unfortunate hamstring injury at Stevenage should open up a place in the team at Walsall.
“I came on against Birmingham and then that (Stevenage) was probably more minutes than they would have wanted me to play to build myself up,” Forrester said. “But that is the best way to get fit, by playing more, and hopefully I can get a full 90 soon and move on from it.
“It is a lot tougher I think for a defender to come off the bench and get to the pace of the game. You don’t often get 10 minutes here or there, it’s all or nothing.
“It can be hard to get in the zone because there are so many things to think about and scan, you just have to try and stay ready.”
Forrester is also delighted to see defensive team-mate Ricardo Santos back at the top of his form after a difficult few months.
“Everyone knows Rico is a top, top player and I think he is showing how good he really is at the minute. I think he has always been good but maybe he has been scrutinised a little bit too much,” he said.
“But I think the fans will appreciate how good he is, and how important he is to this team.”
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