Injury news has been provided for Bolton, with striker Chris O’Grady back in training and in contention to play at the weekend.

Bolton Wanderers have had an absolutely horrific start to the season, beginning with a 12-point deduction, followed by the club almost being expelled from the Football League before a takeover was completed in the dying moments by Football Ventures Limited. 

Since then, the club has obviously struggled in the league, with this turmoil taking centre-stage. Having started the season with a lack of first-team players, the youth-squads filled up the numbers in League One and unsurprisingly fell to some large defeats. However, with the takeover came nine deadline day signings, including the free transfer of Chris O’Grady following his release from Oldham Athletic.

O’Grady had sustained a dislocated knee and has not featured for the Wanderers this season. However, a fresh update from Marc Iles on Twitter has revealed that O’Grady has recovered from this issue and could be in-line to feature on Saturday: 

Bolton face Rochdale at home this weekend, with O’Grady having the chance to play against one of his many former clubs, with the Dale spell O’Grady’s most fruitful club stint, scoring 34 goals in 93 games for them.

The Verdict

Many will have already written off Bolton’s season with them seeming like cannon-fodder so far. However, what O’Grady’ return to fitness represents is that Bolton are finally getting back to where they need to be, a stable club again. 

With players proven at this level and their signing of some genuine quality after their near-collapse, Bolton will be looking to rebuild almost from scratch, as they fight to salvage this season, hoping for their first win of the season.