The Brewers are preparing for their second season in the Championship and they will be coming up against six new opponents during the 2017/18 campaign. In this series, we look at the new clubs that will be joining us in the Championship. First up is Bolton Wanderers.
Bolton Wanderers are back in the Championship after just one season in League One, with manager Phil Parkinson guiding the Trotters to automatic promotion through a second-place finish in the third-tier.
The 2004 League Cup finalists have endured a turgid recent history in the second-tier of English Football and have not finished higher than seventh in the division since their relegation from the Premier League in 2012.
Bolton do boast two promotions from what was then Division One and a further two play-off campaigns in the last 20 years. Wanderers enjoyed 11 consecutive seasons in the top-flight between 2001 and 2012, managing four top-ten finishes in that time.
Having dropped out of the Championship with just 30 points and a host of off-field issues in 2016, former Bradford boss Parkinson was brought in to steady the ship, the man who guided Bradford to the League Cup final in 2013 led Bolton to promotion with 86 points.
Midfielder Josh Vela, a graduate of Bolton’s academy, was the club’s top scorer with 10 goals, while striker Adam Le Fondre has signed a permanent deal at the club, having spent last season on loan from Cardiff City.