It's safe to say that it's been a season of ups and downs so far for Bolton Wanderers, but they're starting to see light at the end of a long, dark tunnel. 

The Trotters started this year's league campaign on minus 12 points, and were forced to field a number of the club's young players for the first half of the season.

This led to Keith Hill's side being on the receiving end of some heavy defeats, which some will say was expected with such a young team fielded.

But with new signings coming in not so long ago, results have shown improvement, and Hill will be confident that his team can fight against relegation heading into the festive period.

The Trotters recently moved into positive points for the first time this season after a 1-0 win over MK Dons, so confidence will be high amongst the players.

We take a look at FIVE Bolton players that are invaluable to Keith Hill at the moment.

Lowe has arguably been Bolton's most consistent player this season, and will be confident of maintaining that as we head towards the festive period.

He has made 15 appearances so far for the Trotters, and is clearly rated highly by both Keith Hill and the club's supporters, who will want to see him as one of the first names on the team-sheet each week.

His calmness in midfield offers is a real asset for Bolton, and his partnership with the likes of Liam Bridcutt and Luke Murphy will be key to their positive performances as the season goes on.

Chicksen might not do anything to extraordinary in this Bolton team, but he's certainly made a positive impact since arriving at the University of Bolton Stadium earlier this season.

He has made ten appearances so far this season, and has performed consistently to a high standard for the Trotters this term, and will be hoping he can keep it that was as this year's campaign progresses.

Chicksen has been part of the Bolton defence which has kept four clean sheets since he joined the club, which certainly makes for impressive reading.

Not many Bolton fans will be surprised to see that Bridcutt is included in this list, despite the midfielder being on loan from Championship side Nottingham Forest.

The 30-year-old has been hugely impressive, and it's no coincidence that Bolton's slight dip in form came at the same time that Bridcutt was sidelined with a broken collarbone.

He's key to the Bolton midfield, and could arguably be playing at a higher level than League One, and he's the sort of player that Keith Hill should be building his squad around this season.

Crawford is currently in the treatment room after picking up an injury earlier in this year's campaign, but he certainly made an instant impact for Keith Hill's side.

He made ten appearances in total since arriving earlier this season, after terminating his contract with Doncaster Rovers at the end of last term.

Crawford has one goal and three assists in a Bolton team that has struggled to stay afloat so far this season, and Hill will be desperate for the midfielder to return as soon as possible, so that they're not missing that creative spark that he offers.

Politic was a rare bright-spark in a slow start to this year's league campaign, and provided the Trotters with a threat going forward.

His impressive showings haven't gone unnoticed either with Aston Villa and Wolves being just some of the clubs interested in landing his signature ahead of the January transfer window.

Hill will be keen to retain his services though, with Politic being a useful player to come off the substitutes bench in this year's league campaign.