Season numbers: Dion Charles’ stats this season – One of Bolton’s best signings in years?

It’s perhaps an understatement to suggest that Bolton Wanderers’ 2021-22 season was spiralling off the edge of a cliff by the time the turn of the year came around, with the Trotters sitting in 18th position in League One after a 2-0 defeat to Wycombe Wanderers in January.

Fast-forward to March though and the situation looks a lot more promising – since that loss to the Chairboys, Ian Evatt’s side have picked up 29 points out of a possible 39 and have climbed up to 11th in the table with nine matches to play.

The play-offs may end up being a long shot now but there’s no doubt that a fresh injection of talent to the playing squad a couple of months ago has done the world of good, and the first player to sign on the dotted line was striker Dion Charles.

Having scored 19 League One goals for Accrington Stanley last season, the Northern Ireland international wanted to test himself at a higher level, and his refusal to sign a new deal following the closure of the summer 2021 transfer window saw him exiled from the senior squad by John Coleman.

That is where Bolton stepped in though in January by securing a deal for Charles for an undisclosed fee – it wasn’t a step up in league for the forward but it was a much bigger club to ply his trade with and he’s taken that chance with both hands.

Since his debut against Wycombe two months ago, Charles has scored six times in 14 appearances, as well as assisting three goals for his team-mates, so nine goal contributions already is a very good return considering he hadn’t played competitive football in a number of months.

His standout match so far was quite obviously the 6-0 drubbing of Sunderland, where he notched twice and assisted once in what was a clinical display from the