THE final dress rehearsal is nearly here for Bolton Wanderers and you would certainly be forgiven for wondering if all the main roles have been filled.

When the curtain goes up at Leyton Orient a week on Saturday it is unlikely the Whites will boast a complete cast, or that some of the main protagonists will even be that familiar with their role.

Injuries have been the chief frustration for Ian Evatt this summer, particularly those which have followed his team from the end of last season, and a spell they would much rather forget.

Now, as the Bolton boss takes his team down the M6 to face League Two Port Vale, it is difficult to ignore the feeling that his planning is behind where it needed to be at this stage of proceedings.

Last season’s top scorer Dion Charles is only 30 minutes into his comeback from a knee injury and Aaron Collins’s involvement at Vale is an unknown as he recovers from a nasty bruised knee.

Vice-captain Gethin Jones is recovering from surgery, Randell Williams still to return, Will Forrester has rolled his ankle, Kyle Dempsey and new signings Luke Southwood and Chris Forino only just coming into contention.

Saturday’s friendly will provide Evatt with a chance to organise his available characters into a workable ensemble with Brisbane Road in mind – and he will still have a team of talents which would be the envy of many of his peers – but for a fanbase still slowly recovering from last season’s agonising late plot twist, the last thing he needs is a slow first act.

Wanderers have fared reasonably well in their friendlies to this point, a slightly new shape providing hope that they can evolve into something punchier and more aggressive this time around. And some of last season’s stalwarts, notably Josh Sheehan, George Thomason and Josh Dacres-Cogley, have already risen to the new tactical challenge.

How Evatt solves his problematic left flank is still a major concern, however, with Williams unlikely to feature for a while, youngster Max Conway still a gamble and the versatile Jack Iredale not quite the attacking option this new system would appear to require.

We may yet get a last-minute understudy – Hungary international Szabolcs Schön is on his way to Lancashire according to several sources in his home country. Closer to home there still appears to be some work to be done before the transfer can be completed, especially in time for the weekend.

The 23-year-old has eight caps for his country and was recruited at a young age by Ajax, which is an encouraging nod to his technical ability. He also spent more than a year playing MLS football for FC Dallas, which may make the language and cultural barrier less of an issue.

Kilmarnock’s Danny Armstrong is another of this summer’s targets who could fit the bill and would presumably be match-ready having, like Schon, competed in the Conference League early rounds.

Wanderers are also still waiting patiently for progress on a new number 10, with Luton Town’s John McAtee facing a choice of destinations including Bolton and Wrexham.

Evatt is confident that his club have the required pull and financial firepower to land a player of the Luton Town striker’s stature and has also lodged an ambitious bid for Brest’s Karamoko Dembele, but neither deal has moved apace, leaving Bolton’s supporters living on their nerves for the last few weeks.

Bolton are doing their best to move out of the shadows of Wembley and last season’s heartache but, try as they might, the fog is yet to completely clear. Despite all-too-familiar injury problems blighting his pre-season planning, Evatt has remained suitably upbeat about the mood within his squad and the condition his players have returned in this summer.

It seems likely that the same squad which faced Stoke on Tuesday night will go to Vale, with the possible addition of Dempsey, Collins and Nathan Baxter. Other returning players could be given time in the B Team at Atherton Colls.

Provided they can avoid any further fitness issues, it then becomes a case of locking in on Leyton Orient and seeing just how quickly the club dare accelerate the comebacks of Charles et al when the lights go down.

Will it be alright on the night? Takes your seats, ladies and gentleman, the main feature is about to begin.