10 Former Players Bolton Wanderers Could Do With Now

7. Craig Dawson

Bolton supporters probably haven€™t forgotten about West Brom centre-half Craig Dawson in a hurry, such was his contribution nearly two years ago. Stuck down the pecking order at the Midlands-based club, he was loaned out to the Reebok Stadium in a bid to earn some first-team experience and the deal paid dividends for both. Signed in January 2013, Dawson made 16 appearances for Bolton and managed to bag four goals, including two in a 4-1 win against high-flying Hull City. He ended up scoring in three successive matches, with two of them proving to be the winning goals, quickly consolidating him as a fan€™s favourite. There was even talk of Bolton bringing Dawson back to the club for a second loan stint last season, but then-boss Dougie Freedman was quick to pour cold water on those suggestions.

€œThey said to me he is not coming out on loan and he€™s going to be in the squad every week, and he has been. I have spoken to his agent and he tells me Craig is very, very determined to make it in the West Brom side, so therefore I€™ve not wasted a lot of energy running after that one. It feels like it€™s far away. He€™s a loan player who came in and credit to the scouting department, because he was fantastic for us. If it does change, well, then who would be interested?€ - Dougie Freedman, January 2014.

Now back at West Brom, he has nudged the likes of Gareth McAuley out of the first-team picture as Alan Irvine has placed his full trust in him. Dawson has played seven times so far this term and notched once already - against Burnley. The 24 year old is thriving alongside the experienced head of Joleon Lescott and the centre-back partnership is just part of the reason why West Brom have started the season so well.