LIAM Trotter’s late understudy act against Port Vale has earned high praise in the Wanderers dressing room.

An injury to skipper Jay Spearing just 10 minutes before kick-off left Phil Parkinson needing to make a late alteration to his line-up at the Macron.

Trotter came in for his first start since the 2-0 defeat against Oxford on October 1 and, explained assistant boss Steve Parkin, had sought some clarification from his manager earlier in the week about his role in the squad.

“Liam had a chat with the gaffer at the start of the week, as we thought he might,” he told The Bolton News.

“The standards he’s set in training this week have been really good. I don’t think there was any hesitation to put him in there. I’m delighted for him.

“It is about the squad. You’ll pick these little niggles up through the season and act accordingly.

"At the start we had some real serious injuries and that obviously upset the rhythm but now that they are coming back the squad is feeling a lot stronger.”

Trotter could now be in line to keep his place in the FA Cup first round this Saturday against Grimsby Town – a club with whom he spent time on loan earlier in his career.