CITY SET FOR NEW FACES!
ALL CHANGE AT TROTTERS SINCE EARLY-SEASON DRAW WITH SKY BLUES
COVENTRY City will face a very different Bolton Wanderers side at St Andrew’s this weekend.
The Sky Blues played out a goalless draw with the League One strugglers early in the season, but a lot has changed since then.
City are now riding high near the top of League One, sitting fifth but with the chance to move top should they win their two games in-hand.
Meanwhile, Bolton are likely candidates to go down having received a heavy points’ deduction this season, sitting 17 points from safety, though they also have two games inhand on their relegation rivals.
To give themselves a chance of overcoming the points deficit, Bolton have been rather active in the transfer market, adding to their squad in January with 10 new signings in all. Those arrivals also add to a plethora of free signings the Trotters completed after facing Coventry at home in August.
Since that goalless draw, Bolton have signed a whopping 20 players in all, giving Keith Hill’s side a very different look this time around.
In fact, from the starting XI that faced City that day, not a single player started Bolton’s win over Tranmere at the weekend, and they have even swapped manager Phill Parkisnon for current boss Hill. In total, Bolton have 39 players listed, though that does include many of the youngsters the club were resorted to throwing into the deep end during height of their financial difficulties.
In January, Wanderers added Muhammadu Faal, George Thomason, Will Buckley, Ryan Delaney and Jacob Mellis on free deals.
They also landed Ethan Hamilton on loan from Manchester United, Aristote Nsiala from Ipswich, Brandon Fleming from Hull, Kean Bryan Sheffield United and Anthony Georgiou from Tottenham. Speaking about the new signings, Bolton boss Hill said: “It is great to be able to look at a group of players now and say that they are responsible for their performances.
““I think competition is what promotes a winning environment.”
Hill also believes Mark Robins is doing a ‘superb job’ at City. “(They are a) brilliant side, brilliant,” Hill said. “I think the model, the integration with the academy and the first team, that link, it’s superb.
“The only problem with Coventry at this moment in time in trying to bounce back to the Championship is they have no stadium, which is, for me, a major concern.”
It is great to be able to look at a group of players now and say that they are responsible for their performances. Keith Hill