PHIL Parkinson couldn’t hide his pride after watching Wanderers fight back from two down to rescue a point against Preston North End.

Sammy Ameobi and Pawel Olkowski turned a pulsating Lancastrian derby on its head at Deepdale and ensured Bolton go into the international break on a positive note.

One of the stars of the show on Saturday was Joe Williams, the 20-year-old Everton loanee making his first appearance for the club.

Parkinson was delighted with the youngster having waiting patiently to complete his signing since June.

“What a debut. I thought he was immense,” he told The Bolton News.

“He’s a great all-round midfield player. We’ve played against Preston before and Ben Pearson has dictated the game but we weren’t prepared to let him this time. I don’t think he did.

“He’s confident and he’s good on the ball. We pursued him the whole summer and he was my number one target in midfield. We had to be patient because he got injured, and then we had to compete against other clubs to get him, but he’s a very good signing for us.”

Parkinson – who at this stage last season was defending questions about his own future at Wanderers – reckons the performance at Preston underlines the better quality at his disposal this season.

“We are a better side. We are a better starting 11 and we have got stronger squad,” he said.

“There was an intensity about the play, a competitive edge, and there was some good quality as well.”

Parkinson feels he now has a squad which is capable of aiming higher than last season’s relegation scrap.

“You look at players like Josh Vela, who were on the bench, and he’s probably been our best player in the last two away games,” he said.

“I feel he didn’t have his best one against Sheffield United, and not many did, so we took the decision to leave him out. Luke Murphy didn’t make the bench. We’re talking about signing a new striker but supporters have hardly seen Clayton Donaldson yet and we played him out wide against Leeds and he was great.

“We are starting to get options. There’s a balance in football – having enough but not too many. I’m pleased where we are at the moment.”