DAVID Flitcroft has backed Keith Hill to add quality signings to the Wanderers squad in January despite being saddled with a transfer embargo.

Bolton know they must adhere to strict rules on player registration next month but still plan to make changes to aid their survival bid in League One.

Flitcroft believes Hill’s experience in working under tight financial budgets at Rochdale makes him the perfect person to see Wanderers through a potentially tricky period.

“You look at what Keith has done in the past and he’s always been working in an embargo because he’s never had a budget,” he told The Bolton News.

“What we always find is that because of the reputation he has got with players, and also the size of the club, the training ground etc, what we found when we were recruiting first time is that this club has a big draw.

“Players don’t see the points deficit as a problem, in fact we can use it as a stimulus.

“If people don’t want to come and join that, you probably don’t want them here anyway. They need to understand the problems there have been at this club, come to help and support us on it.

“When you haven’t got that sort of budget you can’t buy players anyway, so Keith has been working under that sort of thing for the last 20 years.”

Wanderers return home to host Southend United this weekend before a Boxing Day trip to face Phil Parkinson’s Sunderland.

And while Flitcroft is confident in the game-plan they have on home turf he admits there is still plenty of work to do in order to stabilise the club’s away form.

“They have embraced the way we want to play at home, it really is that formula away from home that we have to come up with now,” he said.

“You need high focus levels away from home. We have to get that balance right. We’ll work on it and get it right.

“In my career and Hilly’s career we have had good away records, good performances, and you build that from the work you do, the hours of drilling on the training ground.”