LAWRIE Wilson can put his name forward for a Wanderers deal in their pre-season friendly at Oldham Athletic tonight.

Neil Lennon has laid down a challenge to the former Charlton Athletic full-back, who will start the game at Boundary Park.

The Whites boss has searched long and hard for a regular right-back but profited from the fact Wilson’s move to an un-named Championship club faltered last week.

After giving him half an hour in Friday’s defeat at Morecambe, Lennon now wants to take a closer look at the versatile 27-year-old, who can also play in midfield.

“We’re having a look at Lawrie – he’s had an offer on the table from another club,” Lennon told The Bolton News.

“We were made aware of it but he’s trained on his own, made himself available to come in, and even though he hasn’t played much football, just half an hour, he probably will start on Tuesday.

“That will give us a really good look at him because we are really short of one, maybe two right-backs at the moment.

“We’ve been putting square pegs in round holes in that position for a long time.

“Since I’ve been in the door we haven’t had a right-back of our own, so that’s the challenge for Lawrie.”

Talks with ex-Newcastle United defender Ryan Taylor have stalled recently, leaving Lennon increasingly anxious to find someone to balance out his back four.

It is understood the Whites have not given up completely on signing Taylor – who has also spoken to Championship rivals Nottingham Forest and Brighton – but are unable to increase the offer currently on the table.

After using midfielder Josh Vela for much of last season, the Wanderers boss is keen to get the problem position solved as quickly as possible, leaving Wilson in the driving seat as he heads to Oldham tonight.

“We’re looking at other right-backs as well and maybe not that far away from agreeing a deal,” Lennon said.

“It’s certainly an area that needs improvement – but then we’ve known it for quite a while.”

After three consecutive defeats, Lennon believes results and performances will soon pick up as he begins to name a more familiar-looking team with the start of the season in mind.

That starts tonight against League One Oldham, although Zach Clough, David Wheater, Liam Trotter, Mark Davies and Max Clayton are all unlikely to feature.

“We’re hoping Zach will be fit for Scunthorpe or Port Vale, Trotter should be the same,” Lennon said.

“Mark Davies got a whack on his knee while we were out in Austria, so there’s no need to take any risks with him. It doesn’t make any sense to lose him for a prolonged length of time at this stage.

“Wheater shouldn’t be far away, so the longest-term one we’ve got at the moment is Max Clayton but he’s just being eased back and should return at some point in the next couple of weeks.

“Zach had a slight strain which manifested itself after a scan. It’s not serious.”

After brushing off previous defeats, Lennon is looking for a little more from his senior players as they step-up their preparations.

“We need to start looking stronger, naming a senior team and start moving forward,” he said.

“So far I’ve juggled things around a little bit and made sure that some of the younger players get enough playing time.

“Obviously there are lingering gaps in the team that we still need to fill, and a couple still out, but I think now we’ll be looking for a little more from some of the senior players.

“I’m not worried by how results have gone – at this stage it isn’t a concern – but we do have to be a little more careful in the final third and sharpen things up a little bit.

“There are three or four more games left now and I think we’ll see the team look more like the team that will start the season.”

Darren Kelly’s Oldham capped off their mini-tour of Scotland with a thumping 5-0 win over Stirling Albion on Friday night, including a brace of goals from Slovenian trialist Alen Ploj.