Bolton Wanderers Women to take centre stage this Sunday

Myles Smith’s side have made a strong start after a summer rebrand and recruitment drive and looking every inch the promotion contenders they planned to be.

This Sunday afternoon they welcome Haslingden to their new home at Atherton Colls’ Dreams to Reality Stadium (2pm kick-off) and with no game for the men’s team, are hoping that a few inquisitive supporters may be tempted down to see what the fuss is all about.

Admission is free, food and drink plentiful, and the football is improving week by week, says Smith, who has been delighted with the backing the team has received so far.

“We have started to see over the last couple of games, home or away, some faces who are not just friends and family members, they are Bolton Wanderers fans who are generally interested in coming to support the women’s team, which is great,” he said.

“As we keep playing and hopefully putting in entertaining performances and results alongside it those numbers will get bigger and bigger.

“We’re certainly putting goals in the back of the net at the moment, no worries there, and generally been keeping them out at the other end as well, it has been a really good start.

“But I am learning quite quickly in this league that nothing is easy, every opposition has a different type of challenge and a different puzzle to solve in their own way, so I don’t expect that it will be any different on Sunday. It will be a tough test.”

Eleanor Seals and Leila Stanley celebrate a win at Hindley Juniors (Image: BWFC)

Nobody has contributed more goals to the cause than attacking midfielder Charlotte Tyers, who moved to Bolton from higher-division Chorley in the summer and started her footballing journey at Leicester City.

With four goals – including a hat-trick against Fleetwood – and five assists, she has been one of the main catalysts behind the winning start.

“She’s a great player and we knew what she could potentially bring when we spoke to her before the start of the season,” Smith explained.

“Credit to her for showing maturity, she stepped down a couple of leagues to be with us, and not a lot of players are willing to do that.

“I think she saw the environment we have created, how much she can develop, and what it will be in years to come. It’s time to start with us now, it will be too late in a year or two because we’ll already have things set in place and our players ready.

“She was clever in that sense, jumped on board at the start, and she is getting her reward when you look at the numbers she is putting up already.

“I think she is also very happy with what she is doing, which is the main thing.”

A handful of other players joined Bolton from the leagues above this summer to boost the squad and even with the season underway, more players are showing an interest in joining the club.

“I think a lot of people are starting to talk, seeing what we are doing,” he said. “We are in a position where we are rivalling environments in tier two and three, albeit we have some limitations with playing in tier six at the moment.

“The support these players get, their programmes, they are right up there with what I have seen in the top leagues. That is what I wanted to do when I came here, make it as good as we possibly could.

“I think a special shout goes to Charlotte, Katie Holt, the girls from Everton and Blackburn, who were the first people to step forward.

“They put trust in us, and we will trust them because of that."

Wanderers Women manager Myles Smith shouts instruction from the sidelines (Image: BWFC)

A young squad assembled in quick time is now starting to bed down, leading Smith to feel the best performances are yet to come.

Like the men’s team, Wanderers Women have a cache at this level of football and will be expected to challenge for top spot and promotion at the end of the season.

The response, says the manager, has been an encouraging one.

“Credit to them, they have adapted really quickly,” he said. “Even playing in front of 350 people is new for some of them and having that expectation to go out and win football matches every time is a different experience than they are used to.

“Some of them have come from youth level where participation is important and development is at the forefront whereas now their responsibility when they are in a Bolton kit is to go and get three points.

“We all have that pressure and it’s a part of sport – whether it’s football, the Olympics, the Paralympics is on at the moment, those athletes trying to get on the podium after four years of training.

“The right youth environments probably get players prepared for that in the latter years, ready for competition and winning games.

“As staff we can’t hide away from pressure and pretend to the players it isn’t there because we know what is expected of us. I think if I tried to pretend it didn’t matter they would see straight through me, I’m a pretty authentic person.

“You have to try and enjoy it. We can only make sure players cut it down game by game, tick off every challenge as they come.

“There’s no doubt we won’t win every game this year, that would be a massive ask, but when a slip-up happens it is about adapting and reacting to that. The best players in the world do that.

“I keep speaking about the character this team is showing me – we beat Hindley in our last match but the performance wasn’t great. We weren’t at our best against Atherton LR at home, and the players come off the pitch disappointed because they are setting high standards for themselves. That is real maturity.

“We have to be happy with four wins from four and only conceding in one of those games but we can do more, and that’s not me saying it, it is the group.”