LLOYD Isgrove would be happy to play a starring role for Wanderers on Saturday after watching his last close-up at Sunderland from behind the sofa.

The Bolton winger unwittingly made a cameo in the Netflix documentary filmed at the Stadium of Light whilst playing for Barnsley.

The popular series - entitled Sunderland 'Til I Die - charted the Wearsiders’ relegation from the Championship in 2018 and their subsequent efforts to escape League One.

Isgrove says he became hooked watching the trials and tribulations of the fallen giants – even though he wasn’t a big fan of the editing.

“I feature on it a couple of times from some of the games at their place,” he told The Bolton News. “They didn’t ask me – I was a bit gutted about that. And the footage was me getting skinned as well, sliding on my knees, so I am annoyed they put that in.

“But it was a really good series, I enjoyed watching it.

“It is natural, I don’t think anyone plays up to the camera. It is good for the fans to see what goes on behind the scenes, so it is good for everyone, even the boys enjoy watching them.

“They have been desperate to get out of this league for a while now.

“We’re not quite in the same position because we’re building back up. We are not where we want to be and fighting hard to get up there.”

Wanderers also hit the small screen this year as documentary makers came in to capture some of their promotion efforts in League Two.

The two-part programme, Born to be a Wanderer, can be found on YouTube and was a big hit with supporters who were unable to watch their club in person during lockdown.

Isgrove was happy to spend time in the camera’s gaze – but believes Netflix missed a trick.

“It was all fine,” he said. “They told us when the filmmakers were coming in but it wasn’t every day. Sessions get filmed anyway so the gaffer can look at them and improve, so it wasn’t too different.

“I’d have loved to see Netflix here last season with the promotion, the way we did it, it would have been brilliant.”

Wanderers are unlikely to adjust their gameplan at Sunderland despite going into the game as second favourites.

Ian Evatt’s tactical blueprint is now firmly embedded on the squad and Isgrove believes the attacking approach can work on the road.

“We might be the under-dogs this weekend but we will play like it is a home game,” he said.

“There might be a bit less pressure when you don’t play in front of your own fans but we’ll be looking to attack, we always do.

“Even when we are losing we don’t change the way we play. We don’t go direct or anything like that, we stick to the way we are playing because it’s the gaffer’s philosophy and we believe in it. We are never going to change.

“It’s on us to take the chances and keep it shut at the other end.

“All the lads like the way we play, the high press and the formation, it does suit us and we create a lot of chances.

“We believe in it, even when we are behind. We did that plenty of times last season and we have played that way so much in training that it’s just repetition.”

Conceding the first goal used to spell big trouble for Wanderers, who once went 18 months without winning a game from such a position.

Isgrove felt a comeback was possible even after going two down against Rotherham United last week.

“We didn’t get back in it on Saturday but we always believe we can,” he said.

“Their goals were quite early as well so there was plenty of the game left.

“I don’t think they dominated at the time either, so we’re disappointed with that, but we’ll look to put it right on Saturday and I am very confident we can go there and get a result.

“We’re one of the new teams which have come up but we don’t want to be mid-table, we want to be right up there, at least play-offs, and that is the way the manager wants it to be. We want the same thing. We’re a good group and we are all it in together.”