Bolton Wanderers' Max Conway on his incredible career rise

That has certainly been the case for Max Conway, who has come a long way in a short space of time since turning out for Buxton Town against Ipswich just under four years ago.

As has been well documented in recent weeks, the full-back has stepped up a level in each of the past five seasons, graduating from National League North to the Championship.

Those who had watched academy football over the last decade would know the name Max Conway, the winger-turned-defender who was being talked about as a first team option as far back as Phil Parkinson’s time in charge of the club.

But it was on a rainy night at Portman Road that he got his first taste of ‘proper’ football, and he has not looked back ever since.

‘I was marking Wes Burns, so it was a tough night,’ he told The Bolton News.

‘But it was a great experience. I hadn’t actually met any of the lads at the time. I’d signed on the Thursday, went down on the Friday, trained for half an hour on Friday and that was it!’

Conway had been given a squad number in his first year as a scholar and been included in squads by Ian Evatt for the Carabao Cup and EFL Trophy before the B Team set-up was put in place.

His debut for Bolton was still some time away – arriving on the opening day of last season at Stockport County – but his footballing journey to that point involved loan spells with Buxton, AFC Fylde and Crewe, all adding a little more to the CV.

‘It helped me grow up no question about it,’ he said.

‘It's an incredible feeling to be honest. Talking about being with the first team… It’s sometimes still surreal.

‘I don't want to get over worked on it because I'm here now but if you would have said to me when I was on my way down to Ipswich for Buxton that I'm going to be playing in the Championship for Bolton in four years, I’d have snapped your hand off. It's definitely nice being here.’

Steven Schumacher said last week that Conway’s natural talent could push him even higher than Championship level, provided he continued to work on the parts of his game that require improvement.

The defender, who has been wearing Wanderers white since the age of seven, sees no reason why there should be a ceiling, either.

‘I think that's the way that my career has gone,’ he said.

‘Even now I'd probably say I've found it tougher playing at Buxton than I do in the Championship and I just think that's part of not having any experience and just growing as a person and as a player.

‘I think every single year I've just adapted to what the league throws at you.

‘So far in the Championship I've felt like I'm more than ready to be here so who knows what happens in the future?

‘Hopefully I can keep stepping up and listening to the manager and the coaching staff. They have been around in this game for a lot longer than I have and they have the knowledge, so anything I can take off them, I have to take it all on board.’

Conway is also his own harshest critic.

Saturday nights are regularly spent reviewing available footage to see what he has done right, or wrong.

‘I watch every single game back on Wanderers TV because I don't like the big angle of it on the Hudl camera, it looks terrible,’ he said.

‘Saturday night or Sunday morning I try and watch it all back and look at things I have done wrong, things I have done right, every game.

‘It’s all part of the process, I think, most players do it and most players should do it because it's an important thing to do if you want to get better then you need to watch your game back.’

Sometimes, Conway concedes, the post-match review is more pleasurable than others.

‘Sometimes I do watch lying in bed on a Saturday evening and think: “I couldn’t do anything worse!” But it can be rewarding as well when you have had a good game.

‘It’s important you do it when you have had a bad game too, though, or you’ll never improve.’

Conway played a part in Thierry Gale’s recent winning goal against Cardiff City – but eagle-eyed supporters will have noticed that he didn’t get involved in the celebrations, trying instead to catch his breath for the final few minutes.

The step up to Championship level has also required a step up in fitness levels for the squad that competed in League One last season.

And Conway is determined not to be left behind.

‘I think everyone has to leave it all out there,’ he said.

‘It's still early on and it's going to get easier in terms of fitness but I think if you're walking off the pitch and you've not given absolutely everything you can then you've probably not done something right.’

One area Conway is keen to improve is in the opposition penalty box.

His mazy run late on against Cardiff City presented a good chance to open his account for Bolton but the shot didn’t quite match up to the quality of his run.

‘Yeah, I am just looking for that final finish,’ he smiled.

‘The gaffer keeps getting on to me about me getting that goal, but hopefully it's around the corner.

‘I’d started off playing as a left winger coming through the academy and even when I moved to full-back at about 16 I have always liked to attack. I think you can see that now.

‘I’ve always tried to do it when I can do it. But even, I'd probably say at Crewe, I think it was the year where I completed most dribbles. As you go up it does get tougher to get those dribbles off, but I do enjoy doing it.’