Bolton Wanderers’ chances of securing automatic promotion to the Championship look slim as they go into the final game of the regular League One season.
The Trotters were backed by many before a ball was kicked to be one of the strongest teams in the division, but it hasn’t quite gone to plan.
The club has been in and around the top two all season, but inconsistent results, especially away from home, have meant Portsmouth and Derby County have led the way in recent weeks.
Pompey have already secured promotion, and now the Rams just need a point in their final game to secure second spot, while Bolton need a win and hope Derby lose.
So, it seems Ian Evatt’s side is set for another campaign in the play-offs, and they will hope the addition of forward Aaron Collins can see them go further this time around.
Bolton spent a hefty fee on the forward in January, and while it took him a bit to get going at the club, he is now finally showing why he was brought in, in the first place.
Bolton signed Aaron Collins for £750,000
In January, Aaron Collins was very much a wanted man, as a host of clubs were mentioned as a possible destination.
One of those clubs was Bolton, as they had obviously been impressed by the striker’s performances at Bristol Rovers.
Collins had an excellent 2022/23 campaign, as he finished it as the League One player of the season with 16 goals and 12 assists.
The first part of this season hadn’t been quite the same for the player, as he only had three goals in 27 league games but was still contributing, as he provided eight assists.
However, this didn’t stop Bolton from signing Collins, as they had announced they secured a deal for the player on the 1st of February.
It was reported that the Trotters signed Collins for a fee of around £750,000, which makes him the club’s most expensive signing since they signed Jay Spearing in 2013.
It looked as though Collins was going to continue his struggling form this season, but in recent weeks, the forward has started to show why he was signed by the club.
Bolton finally seeing the rewards for signing Aaron Collins
Bolton Wanderers were a side that already had a bunch of options in the final third, so it may have surprised a few to see the club looking to add in that area once again with the signing of Aaron Collins.
The Trotters already had Dion Charles, who has been an excellent addition since joining the club, while they also have Victor Adeboyejo, Jon Dadi Bodvarsson, Cameron Jerome, and Dan Nlundulu.
But that didn’t stop Evatt from pursuing a move for Collins, and with the deal over the line, there was probably a lot of wonder about where and if he would play.
There were no guarantees for Collins, as Charles and Adeboyejo were in fine form for the League One side, so the ex-Bristol Rovers striker had to be patient in the first few weeks of joining Bolton.
Collins grabbed an assist in his first game for the club, but then had six games where he was in and out of the side and didn’t get on the scoresheet or add to that assist.
However, that changed in the game against Cambridge United, and since then, Collins has been in excellent form for the Trotters.
The forward scored against Cambridge, and since then he has started 11 games on the bounce in the league, during which time he has scored eight goals and provided one assist.
| Aaron Collins’ stats for Bolton vs Port Vale on Saturday 20th of April | |
|---|---|
| Minutes per game | 86 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Shots on target | 2 |
| Shots off target | 3 |
| Big chances missed | 1 |
| Touches | 35 |
| Accurate passes | 15/21 (71%) |
| Key passes | 1 |
| Big chances created | 1 |
| Ground duals (won) | 3 (2) |
| Sofascore rating | 7.7 |
| Stats as per Sofascore.com | |
His latest contribution came in the 2-0 win over Port Vale last Saturday, as he played 86 minutes and grabbed one goal.
But his all-round play again in that game shows how much he has improved since he first arrived, as the forward had two shots on target, where he could have easily added to his goal, as he hit the woodwork once, and he missed one big chance, as per Sofascore.com.
Furthermore, Collins’ ability on the ball was shown again, as he completed 15 of his 21 passes, meaning he had a 71% pass accuracy, with one of those passes being considered a key one.
The 26-year-old also won two of the three ground duals he had in the game, and he finished that match with a Sofascore statistical rating of 7.7.
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