WANDERERS new boy Mark Little has already hit the net at the Macron Stadium.
Holed up in the clubâs hotel as he looks for a permanent base in the North West, the defender has used his time wisely by brushing up on his new team-mates.
Scanning through hours of footage from the League One promotion campaign, Little reckons he has picked up on the team spirit which made Phil Parkinsonâs first season in charge so successful.
And the former Bristol City full-back believes positive vibes he has sensed since walking through the clubâs doors will stand the Whites in good stead in the Championship next season.
âI think the same things which make you successful in League One can make you successful in the Championship â in fact any league,â he told The Bolton News. âIf you havenât got togetherness and team spirit then you can forget about it.
âI have been watching some highlights on YouTube, trying to get a feel of the team. You can tell itâs upbeat.
âI watched the last game of the season against Peterborough United and when the cameras went through the dressing room afterwards you could see how well the lads got on with each other. Any player would want to be a part of that.â
Little bills himself as an athletic wing-back with considerable Championship experience. In fact, only Darren Pratley (218), Mark Beevers (192) and Andy Taylor (182) have more time in the second tier under their belt than the 28-year-old.
His release at Ashton gate this summer came as some surprise, as Little had featured in 34 games for the Robins. But the former Wolves trainee is pleased his cloud had a silver lining.
âI was in the last year of my contract at Bristol City and all year I was stuck in the same position,â he said. âNormally youâd be realistic if you werenât playing and know youâd be moving on â but I was still playing the majority of games.
âA big club like Bristol City could have gone out and signed a replacement if they wanted one. But when it came down to it the manager wasnât too keen, even though I think other people would have kept me on.
âWhen they said I could go it was news to me â it was news to the wider footballing world, I think. And to be honest I just wanted to switch off, so I went away for three weeks.
âWhen I came back there were a few clubs who had been in touch. But when I saw Bolton I thought âthatâs itâ because growing up Iâd watched them as a Premier League club.â
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