Ricardo Almeida Santos cannot wait to play in front of the Bolton Wanderers faithful at the University of Bolton Stadium next season.
The defender has yet to play in front of Wanderers supporters, but with the prospect of fans returning to grounds for the new campaign, the central defender cannot wait to sample a special atmosphere he has been fondly told about.
“Brocky (Harry Brockbank) has told me all about the fans and what the place is like when it’s packed,” he said.
“I just cannot wait for next season now – this season has just been crazy without fans.
“The way we pushed up the league, no-one would have thought it would have happened and probably a lot of people wrote us off because of the way we started.
“But we just stayed grounded and worked hard every day and the coaching staff, the gaffer, Pete (Atherton), they all believe in us and they just gave it our all.”
Almeida Santos is not fazed by the step up to League One, and he believes the quality of the squad as well as the excellent support from the fans, will give Wanderers a boost next season.
He added: “We’ve got a great squad. I always knew it would take a while for us to gel so we’ve gelled and I think we can go again next year, without no egos, everyone is humble.
"We know how big and how hard League One is going to be. It’s got big teams in that league and I think the fans will just give us that extra push as well. I just can’t wait for it. I’m excited.
“I can’t wait and it’s going to be great, especially the way that we play. Obviously, the fans now understand the way the gaffer wants us to play. It’s different to how Bolton used to play, so hopefully, they’re with us and we can push again next year."
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