Bolton Wanderers' Josh Dacres-Cogley in Championship chase

The former Birmingham City defender spent five seasons with the Blues in the second tier but never quite managed to hold down a regular first team spot, making 30 senior appearances alongside a loan spell with Crawley Town.

But that frustration motivated him to seek regular football further down the league, and he found it at Tranmere, where he has been virtually ever-present for the last two seasons.

Wanderers’ interest this summer has handed him an opportunity to take the first step back towards that level, and the 27-year-old believes he is at a stage of his career where he is able to take full advantage.

“To go to Tranmere and get those games under my belt served me very well,” he said. “That’s what I needed – probably earlier if I could have done. It worked out that was the time I did it and now I’m here so hopefully I can carry on going.

“Speaking to the manager before I came to the club, he was adamant we would be pushing to get to the Championship. That’s always what I’ve strived to do, so I’ll be trying my hardest to help the boys get there.”

Dacres-Cogley has already caught the eye on the training ground since the players returned, the athleticism which has been a big part of his game as a full-back helping him hit the front of Bolton’s pre-season running drills.

With five weeks to go before the big curtain raiser against Lincoln City he is now looking forward to doing some fine-tunning in a series of friendlies which begin on Saturday at Northern Premier side Bamber Bridge.

“Pre-season is ultimately a build-up to that game, so we are putting all the work in so that we can hit the ground running,” he told the club.

“You always want the games to come around – because that means you have got through a lot of the more physical stuff. I can’t want for them to start and when we play at Bolton, even in pre-season, it will be a great experience.

“There is nothing better than running out to a stadium full of fans and I can’t wait to do it.”