A positive story to emerge from the 2011/12 season is the rise to prominence of Adam Bogdan, who has stepped-up from his role as a back-up goalkeeper to become one of the first names on Owen Coyle's team sheet in recent months.

The humble and modest Hungarian has been a virtual ever-present for Bolton throughout the second half of the season, making 24 consecutive appearances since the beginning of January.

Aside from Bogdan himself, no one takes more satisfaction in the 24-year-old's development than goalkeeping coach Phil Hughes, whose day-to-day work on the training ground at Euxton has certainly come to fruition.

An unknown quantity outside of Bolton at the beginning of the season, Bogdan is now a household name, so much so that he won the club's Player of the Year accolade, voted for by the supporters.

And Hughes believes that it is nothing more than is merited for hours of hard graft and a real professional attitude to his work.

"When we first came here over two years ago, we liked Adam from the start," says the former Northern Ireland international, who enjoyed a successful playing career in the 1980s with Leeds, Bury and Wigan.

"Although there were two very good goalkeepers here in Jussi (Jaaskelainen) and Ali (Al-Habsi), we recognised that Adam had potential and was a real prospect.



"Towards the end of the 2009/10 season, he played in a reserve cup final at the Reebok against Manchester City and performed excellently. It was that night in which we felt Adam had a chance of breaking through to the first team.

"Ali went on loan to Wigan at the beginning of last season and that allowed Adam to step up and make his debut in the Carling Cup at Southampton. He was outstanding and consequently played several more cup games last season in what turned out be a year where he was building bricks and moving forward.

"When Adam came back last summer, I felt he really wanted to give himself the best shot at grabbing the shirt. He initially played one Premier League game against Chelsea in October and then Jussi got back in, but since the turn of the year he has been magnificent. That hasn't surprised us because Adam has all the attributes to be a top-class goalkeeper.

"He has the physical presence, mental strength, work ethic and always asks relevant questions about how he can improve his performances. He wants constructive feedback, whether it is on the training pitches or in the video sessions with the performance analysts Lee Sargeson and Brian Prestidge.

"We have worked hard with Adam, he has reacted very well and now it's a case of moving further forward. There is still a lot of work to be done and Adam would be the first to recognise that.



"What Adam must appreciate is that he is working for a manager who is very fair. If an opportunity is given to a player and they take it, they are rewarded by staying in the team, and that is what has happened.

"Within his performances, there have been highlights, like the Wayne Rooney penalty save at Old Trafford. But from a goalkeeping coach's point of view, we are more pleased with his decision making.

"There have been a number of games when Adam has had to deal with difficult situations, for example at Goodison Park against Everton in January on what was an horrendous night for goalkeepers.

"That's one thing I like about Adam­ - he is so positive and deals with things. The back-four really do benefit from that and appreciate the dominance he has in his 18-yard box.

"We must not forget that he has also established himself as a regular Hungarian international. I managed to get out to Luxembourg to see his full debut last summer, and he did very well in that game and kept a clean sheet. He has since gone on to play several more games, including the last friendly with Bulgaria."

The reliable and consistent form of Bogdan has ensured that Jussi Jaaskelainen had to wait for his chance from the substitutes' bench in 2012.

The last game that the Finnish goalkeeper played for Bolton was on the final day of last year when the Whites played out a 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Reebok.

Hughes explained: "What I would say about Jussi from my time at the club is that he is a very hard worker and every day he gives 100 percent effort and takes his job very seriously.

"The six games leading up to Jussi injuring his thigh, he had played very well and was perhaps in his best form of the season. But I'm sure Jussi has enough experience and is wise enough to understand that the manager keeping Adam in the team after he has taken his chance was a fair shout.

"No one can question Jussi's qualities. He has played many, many games for Bolton and has been a top-class goalkeeper for ten years.

"Jussi has offered a lot of support to the other goalkeepers and words of encouragement to the likes of Rob and Jay mean a lot to them because they have grown up watching him as a Premier League regular over the last decade."



Indeed, further down the pecking order, the two academy graduates have also come on leaps and bounds over the last 12 months.

Exciting prospects Jay Lynch (above) and Rob Lainton have enhanced their ever-growing credentials, training regularly with the senior players and playing week in week out for John Henry's second string.

Hughes revealed: "We've had a new goalkeeper added to the first team squad in Jay Lynch. He's come in this year and done very well after we had changed a few things in his setup and style. Training with the first team players and first team staff, he has really progressed and the manager has rewarded him with a new contract which he thoroughly deserves.

"Goalkeeping is about learning from experiences. Good goalkeepers take on board coaching points and advice quickly and that enables them to move on and concentrate on other parts of their game. Jay falls into that bracket as he is a quick learner.

"In fairness to Jay, he has had an opportunity to play in the reserves and he has grasped that with both hands -­ pardon the pun! He has impressed a lot of people including the more senior first team outfield players.

"Jay will have been boosted by the fact that he is being watched by the first team staff when he plays for the reserves at Leyland. It isn't like that at a lot of clubs but the management team here have given Jay an opportunity for him to impress them on a regular basis by being present at the reserve matches.

"Jay has played reserve football mainly in the absence of Rob Lainton (below), who has had a difficult season. Against Blackburn last November, Rob got a thigh strain and then later had a reoccurrence of the same problem.



"He's then moved on to another serious injury when he hurt his shoulder in a behind-closed-doors game and, again, he has had another setback with that.

"With Rob, it's all about concentrating on getting himself ready for next season. He has a lot of ability but now it's a matter of getting him up and running and moving in the right direction again.

"He is a confident goalkeeper who trusts his ability and is a very popular member of the squad around the football club. Physically he has all the attributes and spends an appropriate amount of time working on other aspects of his game.

"Like Jay, Rob is a good listener and I have high hopes for him. He played a game for the first team down at Hereford in pre-season and he did very well. He impressed a lot of people that night and then continued to play well in the reserve games at the beginning of the campaign.

"The manager had decided he was in the right stage of his development to go out on loan and we were very confident that he could have gone and played at any level, including the Championship.

"Rob will be working hard during the summer months ready for next season and I wouldn't be surprised if we hear a lot about him in the next year or two.

"On the whole, I'm happy with the way the younger keepers are shaping up. They have bought into the idea of how I would like them to play and we are all benefitting from that."