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Liam Gordon was sent out for his first-ever game at right-back on Tuesday night with some simple instructions from Ian Evatt: “Run at them, and they won’t be able to stop you!”
The plan worked a treat. Switched to the opposite side of the defence, the 20-year-old put in one of the most encouraging performances of his Bolton career in a 3-0 win against a hapless Doncaster Rovers.
Now, Gordon hopes to repeat the trick against Cheltenham, as Ian Evatt’s patched-up Wanderers look to build on their unexpectedly comprehensive midweek win.
This has already been a season of redemption for the young defender, who looked part way out of the door at the start of 2021 when he was loaned back to Dagenham and Redbridge in the National League after struggling to get into Evatt’s side in League Two.
But after a few solid displays in his favoured left-back role as cover for Declan John, Gordon now hopes to maximise his latest opportunity in a completely different role.
“Anyone in football should be able to adapt,” he told The Bolton News. “I’d never say no to the gaffer if he told me to play somewhere in the team – it is all about being on that pitch and playing.
“It pushes me more to use my right foot and do different things than I would do playing left back.”
Wanderers have barely a dozen fit senior players for the Cheltenham game, and somehow have to craft a squad to face Fleetwood Town in the Papa John’s Trophy the following Tuesday.
But Gordon says the squad is using the injury misfortune to motivate them as they prepare for another busy week.
“I don’t think we want to use it as an excuse because we haven’t got the numbers. It shouldn’t mean we cant win games, regardless of what team we put out we feel like we have the quality to beat any team.
“We can definitely be motivated by it. Once we found out about Josh and Baka, we sort of thought ‘stranger things have happened in football’. It is just a matter of being strong and believing we can do something as a group, this is the most important time to do that.
“I have never experienced anything like this is my career, it’s crazy.
“On the back of a win, everyone’s morale it up. We have been together since the start of the season but I do think now it is even tighter knit and that people are pushing each other to higher standards.”
Though his chance for a run in the side has come as a result of an unprecedented run of injuries, Gordon feels he has a shot at proving he can be a regular, even after the treatment room clears up.
“I feel like everyone gets their chance in football,” he said. “It is about grasping it and staying in the team.
“That is especially the case at the minute because we can’t afford for someone to come in and not play well. There isn’t enough to change things around again, or anyone to get injured.
“On a personal level, I feel like this is my chance to show I should be in the game.
“Whether it is an injury, a suspension, a bad game, someone is always ready to take your spot in football but as a player you have got to be ready when those chances come along.”
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