Jan Kirchhoff determined to play his part

Jan Kirchhoff is determined to play his part between now and the end of the season having made his return from injury against Good Friday.

After making his first start for Bolton Wanderers away at Reading, the midfielder sat out the Whites' next two outings against Sheffield Wednesday and Aston Villa prior to the March international break.

But having come through 73 minutes unscathed at Elland Road, attentions have already turned to Tuesday's crucial game against Birmingham City with the German hungry to play his part over the Easter schedule and the final weeks of the season.

“I had a slight knock after the Reading game," Kirchhoff told bwfc.co.uk. "The international break came at a good time for me personally.

“I was able to have two good weeks of training over that period and I feel that I am ready for this intense time in April as we head towards the end of the season.

“We have seven games to go and that is the challenge I am looking forward to.

"With the help of the manager, the coaching staff and backroom staff, I am determined to be out on that pitch helping the team.

“I just want us to win as many games as possible and secure our place in this division as soon as possible.”

Kirchhoff is also looking forward to being reunited with Chinedu Obasi, a former teammate at Schalke.

Nigerian international Obasi signed earlier this month after being released by AIK, and Kirchhoff is confident the Trotters’ fans will be pleased with what they see from their latest arrival.

He said: “The Bolton fans haven’t had a chance to see him out on the pitch yet, but he will bring lots of quality to the team.

“He is very quick, his technical ability is very high and he can score goals which is all you want from your strikers.”

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