Although Bolton Wanderers were unlucky to miss out on the play-offs last season, it seems as though exciting times are just around the corner for the Whites. 

Not only has Ian Evatt got the summer off to a good start with captain Ricardo Santos signing a new contract at the club as well as others but off the pitch, a restructure of the clubs looks as though it could secure a positive future.

The academy system at the club was in a poor state having had its category downgraded and there were very few chances of the players in these spots reaching the first team.

However, the club have now introduced a new B team idea and although there are concerns over what this means, head of academy Dave Gardiner has spoken positively about how they have shaped this structure from what they have previously learnt as he told The Bolton News:"It was tough to send them out there, but I had to use it as a positive.

"Players had to learn about resilience, the challenge, so when th eU23 step was taken away, players were faced with a lot tougher task than they were used to.

"What it actually did was progressed players further than we though they could possibly have gone.

"And it has also taught us lessons about what the structure needs to look like, going forward.

"At the time it was an unbelievable opportunity to be faced with at the time and they all embraced it with open arms, the coaching staff and players. It surprised everyone the journey they went on.

"Again, it you look at where they started compared to where they finished, it shows that when you are faced with a challenge you never know what you can achieve.

"They did make a massive step but now with the B Team, it makes that a little bit easier."

 

 

The Verdict: 

The key point to take away from this is the fact that actually different structures can work for different clubs depending on their internal structures and how they set up.

The youth structure at the club has been poor for a number of years but this seems like a positive step that will put them in a good position to produce talent to come through.

Furthermore, it seeks to bridge the gap between the B team and first team football which should make it easier to adapt for players stepping into the first team which they will probably appreciate.

Whether this will have the desire effect is yet to be seen but it certainly seems like a promising step for the structure at Bolton.