TEMPERATURES hovered around freezing point on Saturday evening but one player came in from the cold, and left to a warm round of applause.

It was an evening for scarves and thick coats on Winter Hill but Phil Parkinson hopes it marked the start of a thaw for midfielder Liam Trotter.

Fans have struggled to take to the 28-year-old for much of his three years at the Macron but that has not stopped him rattling up 69 appearances for the club.

That frosty relationship was summed up last month at Coventry City, as travelling supporters cheered sarcastically on the announcement of Trotter’s substitution when he left the pitch to be replaced by Max Clayton.

After restoring him to the starting line-up for the first time since that moment at the Ricoh Arena, Parkinson admits he felt partly responsible for the midfielder’s rusty performance on the day.

But after watching him score a stunning volley against Walsall – the Whites boss hopes the appreciative ovation he got from home fans - one devoid of irony - could signal a change in fortune.

“It has been an up and down season for him,” Parkinson told The Bolton News. “He had a really good start to the season playing in the diamond, and he was excellent.

“After coming out of the team he came in again for the Port Vale, Millwall and Grimsby games and did really well again.

“I played him against Coventry away in a really difficult game. The pitch was poor, it was the second game in two days and he hadn’t had much match practice and I felt a bit responsible that he got a bad reaction from supporters when I brought him off.

“But he’s a strong character, Liam. He believes in his own ability and he won’t hide away from receiving the ball.

“I am pleased for him today and I want the supporters to get behind him because with three at the back, which is an option with the players available, it suits us to have someone like him in the midfield.

“We will need everyone, and I need those fans to support him and bring those performances out of him.”