THE loan market has produced some real success stories for Wanderers in Ian Evatt’s four years in charge, but this year’s evidence was hardly convincing.
Of the five players brought in on a temporary basis, only Paris Maghoma has really established himself in the first-team spotlight, with the others largely confined to the supporting cast.
We’ve turned our attention to the five players on loan to start our detailed assessment of the Bolton squad this season.
Paris Maghoma impressed at Bolton, but unfortunately seems destined to move elsewhere in the summer (Image: Camerasport)
PARIS MAGHOMA
Although it was a painful sight to see him bow out at Wembley, there is little doubt that Maghoma has proven in a season with Bolton that he is destined to play at a higher level.
Knowing how influential the Brentford loanee had become in his midfield, Ian Evatt opted to keep him on the pitch for 49 minutes in the play-off final, despite an ankle injury curtailing his effectiveness on the day.
Maghoma had brought excitement and unpredictability to the Wanderers team, allowing him to keep defenders in doubt as he moved a foot to the side to make room for a pass or a shot. In that respect he conveyed similar sentiments back to Dapo Afolayan, formerly of this parish, and his popularity with the Bolton supporters was equally high.
Never afraid to try his luck on goal, only Dion Charles (94) had more shots on target than Maghoma (71) in the league. He was also the only Wanderers player to rank in the division’s top 20 for ball dribbling, averaging 2.3 per game.
Evatt has wanted Maghoma to improve his game without possession and has had some success on that front, although the numbers suggest he is less likely to set up opponents than George Thomason or Josh Sheehan.
A Young Player of the Year award, eight league goals and five assists proved a decent return considering some of the very early injury problems he suffered with the Whites, but the chances of him being loaned back to League One next season appear slim.
Pronunciation: One more to add to the loanees we fell in love with and, like Trafford and Bradley before, there was no fairytale ending. Fire the screenwriter! 7.5/10
Zac Ashworth did quite well in a number of matches around the turn of the year, but was left out of the reckoning (Image: Camerasport)
ZAC ASHWORTH
Showed himself to be a neat and technical player when given the chance, but never really got the stage to prove himself an obvious candidate for a permanent move to Bolton this summer.
Signed by West Brom to provide Randell Williams with a new option at left wing-back, a series of minor injuries made for a frustrating initiation. Before January 10, he made just three starts, all in cup competitions, which was a shame considering his debut against Barrow was marked by a well-taken goal.
A better run came after a strong performance against Accrington Stanley in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy. He started eight of the next twelve games in the league and cup and scored another good goal at Carlisle.
Ashworth missed the decisive penalty against Blackpool in the Trophy quarter-final on February 24, and one wonders whether that blow to confidence contributed to his gradual disappearance from the first-team plans thereafter.
Wanderers have the option to sign the 21-year-old this summer and it would be interesting to see what he could do with more first-team exposure. But with so many questions being asked about the lack of experience in Evatt’s squad, one would have to wonder if his best chance has passed?
Pronunciation: There is undoubtedly a good player there, but is this the type Bolton need if they are to roll up their sleeves and emerge from an improving division next season? 5.5/10
Nat Ogbeta made a fast start at Bolton, but his season fizzled somewhat (Image: Camerasport)
NAT OGBETA
After scoring on his debut against Carlisle and leading the celebrations with supporters after the final whistle, it looked as if Wanderers had signed a livewire in Ogbeta.
With no realistic chance of a reprieve at his parent club Swansa City and his contract expiring in the summer, this has been something of a test for the pacey full-back.
He gave it his all early on, practically dragging himself off the pitch in his first appearances and producing a handful of assists that gave an indication of his quality.
By March, and while Randell Williams was recovering from injury, he had claimed the left flank for himself. There were some really positive signs for the future, even if he failed to completely rid himself of the question marks hanging over his defensive work.
A costly miss from close range in the home game against Shrewsbury will unfortunately be a lasting image of his stay, as will the memory of Wembley, where Ogbeta replaced Randell Williams due to injury on the eve of the match.
His performance in the finale – like so many others – was not the note he wanted to bow on this season.
Pronunciation: When the sun was shining he looked good, but Ogbeta struggled to prove he was a better option than Williams on the left against the better teams in this division. 5.5/10
Caleb Taylor suffered an ankle injury at Cambridge, limiting his impact at Bolton (Image: Camerasport)
CALEB TAYLOR
The chisel-jawed West Brom youngster had plenty of other offers in the January window, and one wonders if he now wishes he had taken a different path.
Ricardo Santos’ injury in February had forced Bolton to find an imposing centre-back for games against dominant opponents such as Barnsley, Northampton and Wycombe, and although there were some signs of ring rust, he coped with his introduction quite well.
After starting the rescheduled match against Cambridge, he was taken off the field just before half-time with an ankle injury, which kept him sidelined for weeks. He did return and put in another encouraging performance against Port Vale, but never gained the traction needed to make a sound judgement.
Taylor looked strong in the air and comfortable in possession, but there is a sense that we will only see the best of him in the coming years, with a career that beckons in the Championship and beyond.
Pronunciation: Struck by an injury just as he was starting to settle down. Highly rated at West Brom and must now continue as all the tools are in place. 5/10
Calvin Ramsay in a rare Bolton appearance against Northampton Town (Image: Camerasport)
CALVIN RAMSAY
There was a lot of buzz around Bolton when they brought in another right-back from Liverpool, someone who had originally been brought in by the Reds on a big money deal from Aberdeen, who was in talks for the Scotland national team, and who had led the way. Conor Bradley in the Anfield first-team line-up.
Ramsay made a reasonable start after falling on a debut against Blackpool in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy, followed by another half decent hour against Barnsley.
However, he deteriorated from then on and only played a few solitary minutes as a substitute from then on. Josh Dacres-Cogley has not been leaned on so much as crushed under the weight in the last few weeks as the only viable right wing. -back.
Injuries had blighted his time at Preston North End in the first half of the season, but he rarely made the headlines as Evatt listed players who had suffered knocks in the past few months, leaving him somewhat of a forgotten man.
In terms of recruitment, one of Bolton’s biggest missteps in recent memory.
Pronunciation: It’s been a miserable 18 months for the Scottish defender and his time at Bolton hasn’t been the renaissance he’d hoped for. On the contrary. 2/10