How did Bolton Wanderers Nathan Baxter go from hero to zero?

The Whites had won at Leyton Orient for the first time since the 1990s and Ian Evatt, who had rallied hard against predictions of a post-Wembley hangover, said his squad were now made of sterner stuff after a particularly gritty second-half performance in East London.

Baxter’s importance to the cause had been emphasised in early 2024 as a wrist injury sustained in a home game against Barnsley was exacerbated during a nine-minute splash session in an abandoned game at Cambridge United. During an absence of several weeks, understudy Joel Coleman worked hard to reach the required match sharpness but his lack of games showed and Bolton’s automatic promotion hopes suffered as a result.

Sharon Brittain claimed in the summer that had Baxter stayed fit, Bolton would have been promoted. A lofty endorsement but one that looks somewhat hyperbolic less than 12 months later with the former Chelsea stopper now looking for a new club next season, having spent almost half of the season playing second fiddle to Luke Southwood.

But what happened to reduce Baxter’s standing in the eyes of Evatt, the fans, and ultimately the new manager Steven Schumacher and lead the club to include him on a four-man list of those released this summer?

And what does the head coach now look for in a new goalkeeper this summer after releasing both Baxter and Coleman to clear space in the squad?

The answer to the first part of that question may well stem from another injury, picked up during the 4-2 win at Northampton in October. To that point, Southwood had been used sparingly, restricted to cup competitions, and the hierarchy clearly defined to see the Northern Ireland international as number two, competing to push his way to the top.

Baxter had a grade three tear to his quad, which needed around a month to recover. Wanderers were placed 13th when he stepped out of the team but by the time of his return they had poked into the play-off places for the first time with a 4-1 win at Stevenage.

Nathan Baxter in action at Wembley last May - a defining moment for club and himself (Image: CameraSport - Andrew Kearns)

He sat out a grim FA Cup exit at Walsall to make sure he was fit enough to return for the away game at Stockport County. It seems odd to think now, but results had been steady going to Edgeley Park, Bolton winning three out of their last four and their only defeat coming at Birmingham City. It would be inaccurate to say that everything was rosy in the garden but the steep drop-off in mood after the 5-0 defeat on Baxter’s return was quite alarming.

That agonising 90 minutes by the Mersey was the most vocal show of dissention against Evatt and his style of football since he had been in charge. And as the players walked off the pitch the reaction from the players was one of shock.

Baxter had missed seven games but the timing of his return could not have been worse. While not especially at fault for any of the goals County scored, the result had solidified within the fanbase a belief that the possession football Bolton had played for the previous four seasons was not the way forward. And for a goalkeeper whose distribution skills were not his strongest point, each pass back into the penalty area became a ticking timebomb.

Ironically, Baxter and Bolton did not lose a game in their next four outings. Baxter sat out a Vertu Trophy win at home to Huddersfield Town but returned for the visit of Wigan Athletic, where once again a 2-0 defeat against a local rival produced a predictably vitriolic response.

By the time the year ticked over to 2025, Baxter’s contract was also an issue. Dropped for the 2-1 defeat against Mansfield, he was brought straight back into the side again after some messy defending at Field Mill.

But that stint lasted two games, and another especially ugly defeat at Rotherham on January 11 spelled the end of his time as Evatt’s first choice. His next league start would not come until March 15 under a new boss in Steven Schumacher, and that after a controversial incident in the new head coach’s first game in which he was heavily fined by the Football Association for misconduct during the warm-up against Reading.

Having spent another six games out of the limelight, Baxter was reinstated after Schumacher reviewed some stats on the type of goals his side had conceded over the first eight games.

Southwood’s distribution skills had seemingly set him apart but concerns over his command of the penalty area in comparison to his goalkeeping rival and the percentage of shots he was now conceding had now crept into the conversation.

Baxter got back in for another eight-game stint, beginning with the home defeat to Stockport. He kept clean sheets against Wigan and Bristol Rovers but finished up on the losing side six times, concluding with his lowest ebb against Lincoln City where a clever free kick from Reeco Hackett added an exclamation mark on what had already been an embarrassing day.

Speaking after the Stockport game Baxter had said he wanted to stay at the Toughsheet – but nothing from the club suggested they were keeping that option open. Schumacher stuck with Southwood in the dregs of the campaign and gave no indication whatsoever that there would be a change of heart.

Baxter walked around the stadium on the final day with the same disappointment as the rest of the squad but his was perhaps the only future which carried with it any great uncertainty in the supporters’ minds.

Nathan Baxter picks the ball out of the net after defeat against Barnsley (Image: CameraSport - Rich Linley)

His shot-stopping has never been in doubt, nor his pedigree, and when Evatt was shouting his name from the rooftops there was little dissention. But the game changed at crucial stages of this season and Baxter’s confidence suffered.

He was recruited as a concrete foundation after the departure of loan star James Trafford and for his first full season proved invaluable, yet the inconsistency of his second term proved insurmountable and new management saw his higher wages as those they could claw back from the budget.

Baxter will fall into a category of secure keepers who have served the club in the post-Jussi Jaaskelainen Premier League era but did not do enough ultimately to elevate themselves to a level where they commanded the number one spot over time.

The question is, can Schumacher now find a player who will fit the bill, or does he place his faith in Southwood?