Former Leeds and Nottingham Forest midfielder David Prutton has been speaking exclusively to FLW's Chief Editor Sam Rourke about the current situation at Bolton Wanderers.

Having only just escaped expulsion from the Football League, the Trotters moved quickly to secure the services of manager Keith Hill, who brought in former Mansfield boss David Flitcroft as his assistant.

That was quickly followed by a busy deadline day in which they signed nine new players, including Liam Bridcutt and Daryl Murphy, both extremely experienced professionals.

Whilst it appears to be excellent business on their part, Prutton feels that it's just as important for the players who have been handed a chance to show what they can do.

“They’re very serviceable players that they’ve brought in," he told Sam Rourke.

“They've all got good experience, the flip side of that is they wouldn’t have been able to afford top-shelf type players. They’ve got players who have come in and haven’t played (elsewhere), the likes of Liam and Murph are at the stage of their careers where they have got to show they’ve got the appetite and show themselves in the shop window. Maybe some type of miracle occurs and they get them out of the trouble."

Bolton have had to face much of the early season with their younger players, a situation that Prutton believes will have been character building if nothing else.

“Without sounding condescending, the young lads have been left behind when everyone has vanished and they’ve had to get on with it. Hopefully as players, if they’re good enough to make it, that will stand them in good stead.

“As we all say as senior players, there’s a difference between academy football and actually getting out in the Football League and I think a few of those lads have had a rude awakening. They’ll think; ‘it is about going there and performing and going toe to toe.’

“These teams that have gone up against the youth team have been rubbing their hands together thinking ‘we’re going to batter these’ because that’s what happens. I'm not talking about bullying, nothing like that but it’s a case of being physically and mentally tougher and experienced"

It's not all doom and gloom at the University of Bolton Stadium though. Prutton believes that recent developments have given their supporters something to cling to over the coming months.

“With (Keith) Hilly and David Flitcroft, I’ve played against a couple of their sides back in the day; they're really good, technically very good and there’s a cocky confidence about them, which is music to Bolton’s fan’s ears.

"Parky did such a wonderful job for such a long time, but now they've got two men in who with sincerity can say 'this is the job we've always wanted'.

“They were that close, and we saw what happened with Bury. Yes, Bolton fans are miles away from safety but ironically I think there’s plenty of reasons to be cheerful.”

After a weekend break courtesy of Bury's expulsion, the Trotters travel to Rotherham this weekend before hosting Oxford United.