MATT Mills has bittersweet memories of his time with Wanderers – but insists he is looking forward to returning to his old club this afternoon.

Former skipper Mills will be wearing the colours of Nottingham Forest at the Macron Stadium, just a few months after being released by Neil Lennon.

The 29-year-old spent three years with the Whites following a £1million move from Leicester City in July 2012 but struggled for form and fitness in his first season with the club.

He recovered to become a first team regular under Dougie Freedman, then Lennon, but parted company with Wanderers as part of cost-cutting this summer.

Mills reflects positively on his time with Bolton – albeit that he left a very different club than the one he joined.

“It was the first fixture that was sent to me by my friends,” he said before today’s game.

“You always look forward to going back to your old clubs; to performing well and hopefully getting the win.

“It is a bit mixed when I look back on my time there. Owen Coyle was under pressure when I first went there and it was not long before he got the sack.

“Then we just missed out on the play-offs by goal difference alone.

“You could see that the club was changing at that point, when it came to the financial side of things following the earlier relegation.

“A lot of players left and a lot came in. It was all a bit disruptive.

“But to captain the club was a huge honour and I had a great relationship with the fans.

“Overall it was positive, but it would have been nice to have gone up and had more success as a squad.”