IN OPPOSITION
BOLTON WANDERERS:
FOUR TO WATCH REMI
MATTHEWS Matthews was tried and tested by Bolton before they made his stay permanent at the University of Bolton Stadium as he joined them on an initial loan deal from Norwich City in 2018. Since then he has remained at the Lancashire club, making the move permanent in January 2019 after the deal was initially hindered by Bolton’s transfer embargo. He was one of only a handful of players to remain at the club throughout their relegation and financial troubles. He has been rewarded for his loyalty by remaining first choice goalkeeper under Keith Hill.
JASON
LOWE
ARISTOTE
NSIALA
The centre back was part of Paul Hurst’s Shrewsbury team who astonishingly stormed into the 2017/18 play-offs against all the odds. In the summer of 2018, Hurst left Shrewsbury and joined Championship side Ipswich where Nsiala later followed. Hurst was dismissed after just five months and upon the appointment of his successor Paul Lambert he found game time difficult to come by. Following relegation to League One last summer, Lambert loaned Nsiala out to Bolton. The 27-year-old has also played for his home nation DR Congo in 2012 when he was with Accrington Stanley.
DARYL
MURPHY
Captain Lowe is another player who, like Remi Matthews, stuck with the club through their difficult period.
The veteran striker joined from Nottingham Forest last summer after netting 11 times in 55 games for Forest.
He signed a two-year deal after joining from Birmingham City in 2018, making his debut against West Brom at The Hawthorns – a game Wanderers won 2-1.
Bolton became the 36-yearolds tenth club after previously featuring for the likes of Newcastle United, Sunderland and Celtic.
Lowe plays primarily a defensive midfield position and learnt his traits during his seven-years as a pro at Blackburn Rovers after successfully progressing through all of their age groups in the Academy. He made 173 appearances for the club.
He also represented Republic of Ireland on the international stage for 10-years, which came to an end in 2017. Keith Hill will be hoping Murphy’s experience will be able to rub off on the younger players in Bolton’s current situation.
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