Defender reflects upon his return to action last weekend following his spell on the sidelines
Making his first appearance for Wanderers in over six months against Brighton last weekend, David Wheater has every hope that he can put his recent injury worries behind him and kick on for the Whites this season.
Last featuring for the club in a 1-1 draw against Reading in March, the centre-half played the full 90 minutes against the Seagulls, even playing upfront inside the closing stages as Gary Madine’s injury time header earned Wanderers a share of the spoils.
And having come through the clash safely, Wheater has every aim to push on for Bolton throughout the campaign and beyond.
“I feel good,” he said. “Of course, I’m a bit stiff but it’s been a long time since I played and it’s great to be back.
“The Brighton match was a good game to come back into and a good result in the end – obviously we would have preferred the win, but they’re a top team who are top of the league and in hindsight, it was a good point for us to pick up.”
Paired with Prince-Desire Gouano in the heart of defence against Chris Hughton’s men, Wheater praised the Frenchman and fellow new recruit Derik Osede for their adjustment to life in England.
“It’s been a change for us with the lads at the back coming in such as Derik and Prince – there have of course been language barriers, but as soon as you’re on the pitch everybody knows what their job is and where they should be and that certainly showed on Saturday against Brighton.”
Reflecting upon the Whites’ latest test against Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road on Saturday, he said, “Coming to this weekend, they’re the kind of games you want to be playing in.
“You want to be testing yourself against the best teams in the division week in, week out and hopefully we can go there and get a win to head into the international break with.
“If we can do that, we can enjoy a bit of a rest over the break and then come back refreshed and ready to attack the league table again.”
The defender continued: “Of course, QPR having lost Charlie Austin and Jamie Mackie to injury could be a bonus for us, but me personally, I prefer to play against the best players as it helps to improve your own game.
“Austin in particular is a big player for them and hopefully they’ll miss him at the weekend.”