Midfielder speaks to bwfc.co.uk following his strike against Scunthorpe at Glanford Park
Speaking following his strike in Wanderers’ pre-season clash with Scunthorpe on Friday evening, Josh Vela hopes that his effort will be the first of many in a Bolton shirt.
The academy graduate notched the opening goal of the game against the Glanford Park outfit, collecting the ball on the edge of the penalty area before rifling home with the clash just three minutes old.
And although ultimately disappointed that Wanderers weren’t able to record a second consecutive pre-season victory, the midfielder believes that there were still plenty of positives to take from the game.
“It was a good strike,” Vela said reflecting on his goal. “Hopefully I can add that aspect to my game a bit more too.
“It’s my first goal in so long that I can’t remember the last time I did score, but it’s probably the first time I’ve been able to have a shot really!
“It feels really good to get on the scoresheet, but the build-up play beforehand was really good too. I got a good ball from Liam Feeney, I just thought I’d have a shot and luckily it went in.
“It’s always good when you’re able to finish off a good team move like that, so I’m really happy with my effort.”
With the home side equalising from the penalty spot through Paddy Madden just four minutes after the restart though, Vela admitted that the team were left ultimately frustrated at the final whistle.
“We should have probably finished Scunthorpe off before they got back in the game," he said. "We had a good few chances even after they equalised, while they did well to get back in the match.
“I’m not too sure if it was a penalty or not, but ultimately it’s a good workout for the lads ahead of the new season – that said though, we know that we need to step up the quality of the football we’re playing alongside that.
“We’re moving in the right direction and we’re aiming to be in a good position come the first game of the season.”
He continued: “We’re unbeaten in two games now after the Oldham win and this draw, so we’ll be looking to go right through to the Derby game unbeaten too.
“That’s when the real hard work starts though – we’ve got two more friendlies against Port Vale on Tuesday – a game which will be another test for us – and then Charlton, but we just need to continue doing as we have been and hopefully we can pick up a few more results.”