Lolos feels ready to play a central role for Wanderers in festive fixture run

KLAIDI Lolos is starting to feel right at home in a new kind of midfield role with Wanderers.

Known for most of his career as a number 10 or striker, the former Crawley Town man has been learning the ropes as a number eight, with duties at both ends of the pitch.

His attacking roots showed through against Huddersfield Town on Tuesday night as he headed home Jordi Osei-Tutu’s cross to open the scoring in the Vertu Trophy.

Lolos, who also netted a stoppage time winner against Peterborough United in October, was pleased to get back among the goals in what was only his fourth start of a season which has been hampered by an ankle injury picked up on the opening day at Leyton Orient.

“It was a great ball from Jordi,” he said of his first-half header. “The ball got played back to him and the line squeezed, so I wanted to see if I could exploit a bit of space in behind. Thankfully the ball came in and I managed to slot it in.

“It was a pattern of play we’d worked on. We speak often about the opposite eight being engaged because a ball like that might come in and you might get a chance to score.

“For me to get that goal was a good feeling, I can kick on now and go again Saturday, then again and again.

“At the end of the day it is about the team. I want to play as many minutes as I can but to contribute to success is even better.

“It was a good performance, I felt we controlled most spells of the game and the application was first class, so long may that continue.

“If anything we could have scored more and we have talked about being more ruthless. When we do play that good stuff, as we did out there, we need to make sure it ends up showing in the goals we score.”

Lolos has featured in seven of Bolton’s last nine games and with Josh Sheehan out until the end of the month with a hamstring problem he could now get a chance to showcase himself in the festive fixture run, which starts this Saturday against Wigan Athletic.

“I feel like I am in a good place, feel strong,” he said. “There are a lot of games still to come and the more I can get under my belt, the better. Rhythm is everything in football.

“Match fitness is different to any other type of fitness but I am definitely feeling good at the moment, physically and mentally, so we’re looking forward to the next one now and we know how important it is for everyone to get a result.

“We have a strong group, good players all over the pitch. Regardless of what team he puts out on Saturday I know it will be a strong one.”

Ian Evatt is also taking stock of his midfield options and was impressed by Jay Matete’s performance alongside George Thomason and Lolos against Huddersfield.

Though he boasts a different approach to long-standing playmaker Sheehan, the Whites boss feels Sunderland loanee Matete is in good form.

“He is a different player, likes to drive with the feel, likes to feel contact, but I thought it was a really good performance. He’s a different type of number six, of course, but they are the options we have at the moment. Jay can play in different positions too, just like Josh Sheehan can, but it just so happens he has developed into that six role more and more. When we signed him he was playing more eight and 10.

“It is good that we have players of that ilk, who have different strengths.

“Klaidi is getting there as well. The injury set him back, there is no doubt about that, so he had to wait some time and be a little patient, but he is starting to show what he can do. He is a good player and he is learning the eight position, what’s required with and without the ball, and for him it is more unnatural out of possession because he is more of an attacking player but he is getting to grips with it.

“He did well to finish his goal and it is good that he has a different edge to the other number eights, he can get into the box and score with his head and feet. He is an ex number nine, so he knows what it takes to score goals.

“They are all improving but we can only keep our heads down and make sure that continues, make sure we keeping winning football matches.”