Bolton Wanderers beat Wigan Athletic to Charlton's Rob Apter

The former Blackpool man became Steven Schumacher’s second signing in a week after the capture of Corey Blackett-Taylor from Derby County on Tuesday.

Apter signed for the Addicks for a seven-figure fee in the summer and made a good impression early on but has recently dropped out of the reckoning under Nathan Jones, prompting him to look for a loan move this month.

Wigan Athletic also enquired about his availability but the 22-year-old, who can play across the front line, picked Bolton to become the fifth new signing of the winter window, joining Lewis Temple, Jack Bonham, David Harrington and Blackett-Taylor.

Apter’s arrival also gives Schumacher scope to toggle between the 3-4-2-1 he used against Burton Albion on Tuesday night and the more familiar 4-2-3-1, with his options on the wing now replenished.

Thierry Gale and Ibrahim Cissoko made positive contributions from the bench in midweek and Jordi Osei-Tutu also created the winning goal for Sam Dalby.

“I think if you asked the three (Gale, Cissoko and Blackett-Taylor) they would all say they preferred to play on the left but they can play on the right as well,” he told The Bolton News.

“We’ve got Jordi who can play on the right, so we have got good options – and the window isn’t closed yet, either, so we will keep going.”

Schumacher had hoped to bring in another signing before the team travelled to London on Friday lunchtime after the demands of a third Saturday-Tuesday started to take their toll.

Wimbledon had their midweek game postponed but looking at new arrival Blackett-Taylor, the Bolton boss feels he has signed a player who is ready to hit the ground running.

“He came on in Derby's last game, I think he got 25 minutes or so, and then got 60 minutes in the one before,” he said. “It might take him a little bit of time to get up to full speed because he's only played 10 or 11 games this year, so we may have to be a bit patient with him and manage him properly.

“Like all the explosive wingers, you can't just burn them out, because it's a big risk.”

Wanderers will play their ninth and final game of January at Wimbledon but Schumacher has been encouraged by the way his squad has galvanised during a physically taxing schedule.

“It has been a mad month, I think that's our 11th game since Boxing Day, so it's just mad,” he said. “But it has been the same for the majority of the teams, obviously a few games have been called off but we're ploughing on, we're trying to use the squad as best as we can, trying to get people as fresh as we possibly can for what are always difficult games, and Saturday will be no different.

“We go down there knowing that if we all stick together as a team, and we have this sort of togetherness about the group, an internal togetherness, then we'll try and get through at any period or any challenge.”