Bolton Wanderers’ latest Aaron Collins evidence could be bad news for Derby County: View | OneFootball

Bolton Wanderers put on a show on Easter Monday as they hammered Reading by five goals to two in front of over 25,000 spectators at the Toughsheet Community Stadium but there was one player who shone above everybody else.

The Trotters’ £750,000 January transfer window signing, Aaron Collins, scored his first Bolton hat-trick and made it six goals for the club since joining from Bristol Rovers.

Some fans, with the team’s form majorly dipping, had become impatient with the lack of consistency that Collins had shown but there will now be a belief that the Welshman is well and truly up and running as we head into the League One ‘run-in’.

An array of talents

On debut against Barnsley in early February, Collins, with almost his first touch as a Bolton player, produced an outstanding, deep cross that was attacked well by Zac Ashworth to give Bolton an equaliser against the Tykes.

Immediately, he showed perhaps a level of technical ability that the other strikers, albeit all with their own individual strengths and bonuses, do not necessarily possess within the Bolton squad.

Monday’s annihilation of Reading was another excellent example of what sort of difference he provides Ian Evatt and the Trotters with the first of his hat-trick an excellent effort into the top corner from around 25 yards and his third a well-struck, on the turn poacher’s finish high into the roof of the net.

The versatility and creativity that Collins has shown so far, especially in contrast to the hard running of Dion Charles and Victor Adeboyejo and the hold-up play of Jon Dadi Bodvarsson, compliments the Whites’ attack very well.

Having been crowned the Player of the Year in League One last season, a division that consisted of some high-quality teams, despite playing for a mid-table outfit in Bristol Rovers, the level and quality of Collins is one that many clubs rivalling Wanderers will be envious of.

Gelling with teammates

Whilst the variety and range of options on offer to Evatt is undoubtedly a positive, the Bolton boss has had to deal with several injury issues and that is something Collins himself has acknowledged for what many perceived as a slow start to his Bolton career.

Collins discussed the difficulty in finding and forming a partnership, having started alongside four strikers already since arriving at the end of the January transfer window.

However, there is perhaps now something beginning to stir with Bodvarsson with the Icelandic forward scoring a brace against his former club Reading. Adeboyejo and Collins appeared on an excellent wavelength just before Adeboyejo’s likely season-ending injury against Exeter City in early March.

Perhaps the most exciting possibility, though, remains the pairing of Charles with Collins. The Northern Irishman has been out since mid-February but could return this weekend and there will be a real fascination and excitement at their potential link-up.

It would be fair to suggest that would see two of the league’s very best forwards at the top of a generally fluent, albeit occasionally slow, automatic promotion challenger.

A big month

With five games of the season to go, Collins could not be heading into them on the back of a much better performance or major boost in confidence.

Bolton, despite being the second top scorers in League One, have been guilty of wasting major opportunities but if they are able to get Collins playing in red-hot form for the final few weeks then they will believe those issues have eased.

Evatt said that Aaron Collins was almost a signing for next season, rather than this, but he really well could have a major impact in sending his side to the Championship.