The past ten seasons have been extremely tough to watch for fans of Bolton Wanderers. Between 2004 and 2007, Bolton Wanderers were finishing in the top half of the Premier League and playing European football.
Their squad included top international names such as Youri Djorkaeff, Jay-Jay Okocha, El Hadji Diouf, Nicolas Anelka, and Fernando Hierro.
Into the 🎩 in style! 🔥#bwfc pic.twitter.com/O5hAIayhX3— Bolton Wanderers (@OfficialBWFC) December 2, 2023
Into the 🎩 in style! 🔥#bwfc pic.twitter.com/O5hAIayhX3
However, having been relegated from the Premier League in 2012, Bolton Wanderers have been languishing in the lower leagues.
In 2020, Bolton Wanderers were relegated to the bottom division in the English Football League but did win promotion straight back to League One.
Having finished fifth in League One last season, only to lose to Barnsley in the play-offs, could Bolton Wanderers be about to return to the Championship via automatic promotion in 2024?
Bolton Wanderers have started the 2023/24 League One season strongly, coming off the back of a good campaign last season.
They have won 12 of their 18 League One fixtures to date, losing only 3 matches in what is a demanding and highly competitive division.
Bolton Wanderers have been scoring plenty of goals and after 18 games played, they are the joint top scorers in League One.
The 7-0 win over Exeter City certainly helped but Bolton Wanderers have been consistent in-front of goal all season, scoring at least twice in 10 of their 18 matches played up to this point.
Dion Charles has been the standout player for Bolton Wanderers and he has 13 goals to his name this season.
The Northern Ireland international joined from Accrington Stanley in 2022 for around £300,000 and it was a notable addition for Bolton Wanderers because it was the first time since 2018 the club paid money for a player.
Throughout the 2018/19 season, Bolton Wanderers were in financial difficulty and there was a risk the club were going to go out of business.
The club is now owned by Football Ventures (Whites) Ltd, with 8% of the shares owned by the British Business Bank.
Fans will be hoping there is no more trouble off the pitch because on the pitch, the club appear to be going in the right direction.
Keeping hold of Charles in the January transfer window will be important and he recently signed a contract extension to 2026.
The 27 year old striker scored 16 times in League One last season and already has 11 goals to his name in the league this season.
Victor Adeboyejo has also been a useful addition to the team and the Nigerian striker has 6 goals in League One season having cost around £500,000 from Burton Albion.
On paper, with Plymouth Argyle, Sheffield Wednesday, and Ipswich Town now out of the division, League One looks a little weaker than it was last season.
Bolton Wanderers have coped well with the loss of loanees James Trafford and Conor Bradley from last season and have improved defensively as the season has progressed.
👊 Dan does superbly to set it up, and Jón Daði applies the finish! #bwfc pic.twitter.com/53eaVm1DT9— Bolton Wanderers (@OfficialBWFC) December 3, 2023
👊 Dan does superbly to set it up, and Jón Daði applies the finish! #bwfc pic.twitter.com/53eaVm1DT9
Between the 28th of October and the 28th of November, Bolton Wanderers played 5 fixtures in League One and did not concede a goal.
With Charles and Adeboyejo in attack, keeping clean sheets is going to be key to the success of Bolton Wanderers this season.