Ranking Bolton Wanderers’ 8 worst players from modern times - Chris Taylor 3rd | OneFootball

Bolton Wanderers have had some topsy turvy modern times, sliding out of Europe and relegated from the Premier League all the way down to the fourth-tier with major financial issues almost causing extinction on more than one occasion.

During that time they have still had some excellent players and cult heroes but there are several that have not been as widely celebrated or fondly remembered. Whilst the wording and premise of discussing ‘worst’ players is harsh, this is a look at eight of those players that endured really difficult spells with the club in recent times.

8 Brandon Comley

Walsall (League Two)

In the summer transfer window of 2020, Bolton Wanderers signed 21 players as they were forced into rebuilding their entire club.

Brandon Comley was the fourth of those 21 arrivals and came with a bit of fanfare after reaching the League Two playoffs at the heart of Colchester United’s midfield the year before. However, the Montserrat international made just ten appearances for the Trotters and eventually departed for National League side Dagenham and Redbridge a year later.

He is now at Walsall in League Two. He still has an EFL career but the 28-year-old struggled to get to grips with the pace and complexity that was desired by Ian Evatt and never fulfilled his potential with Wanderers.

7 Billy Crellin

Another one of those arrivals that summer was Billy Crellin on loan from Fleetwood Town.

The England youth international came under heavy criticism as he tasted professional football for the first time and was thrown into the deep end at a club with massive expectations for League Two. He made several mistakes in the opening couple of months, leading to Ian Evatt to tell him to ‘man up’ in a BBC radio interview.

He was eventually replaced by Matt Gilks as Bolton’s number one and had his loan spell ended in January. He is now on the books at Everton in their development squad.

6 Clayton Donaldson

Farsley Athletic (National League North)

Once upon a time, Clayton Donaldson was a prolific forward for an ambitious Brentford team as they got promoted out of League One.

He was even a useful and impressive striker for Birmingham City in the Championship but at Bolton, who he joined on a free transfer from Sheffield United in 2018, he was and is widely regarded as one of the worst forwards to put on the white shirt, scoring just one goal in 31 league appearances before departing after one season to Bradford City in League Two. T

The Jamaican international is now playing for Farsley Celtic in the National League North.

5 Jamie Mascoll

Another member of the class of 2020, Jamie Mascoll signed on a free transfer from Wycombe Wanderers to play at left wing-back for Evatt’s side.

Mascoll, renowned for his pace, made just seven appearances for the Trotters in half a season before being loaned out to League of Ireland club Waterford in January 2021.

The now 26-year-old is at Chatham Town in the seventh tier after spells at Wealdstone, Lewes, Hornchurch and Cray Wanderers; more befitting of his level, rather than League Two.

4 Jamie Proctor

Jamie Proctor is another striker that Wanderers supporters found, at times, painful to watch.

His most memorable moment is probably missing the target from an angle whereby it was more difficult to do so after being put through on goal in a 2-0 win at Gigg Lane against local rivals, Bury, in October 2016.

He only lasted half a season at Bolton and failed to score in 21 League One appearances but did notch against Blackpool in the EFL Cup. He is now plying his trade in League Two with Barrow after spells with Carlisle, Rotherham, Scunthorpe, Fylde, Newport, Wigan, and Port Vale in the seven years since leaving.

3 Chris Taylor

Chris Taylor was a part of the Bolton squad that gained automatic promotion from League One in 2017 but the former Millwall and Blackburn Rovers winger is not well-liked by Bolton supporters.

One moment that springs to mind is Wanderers fans cheering Zach Clough coming onto the pitch in a 1-0 loss at Spotland against Rochdale, with Taylor taking the cheers as jeers of himself and glaring menacingly towards the away end before slowly wandering off the pitch in a losing situation.

He finished his career last year after a short stint at FC United of Manchester.

2 Reece Wabara

Retired

Reece Wabara, like a couple of others on this list, appeared to rate himself a bit higher than was appropriate.

The full-back made just one appearance for a Bolton team that gained promotion from League One in 2017 before quickly being regularly overlooked. After beginning his career at Manchester City and playing in the Premier League for them once in 2011, he made just 147 first-team appearances during his six-year career before eventually prematurely retiring at the age of 26 and setting up a genuinely very successful business, whereby he is the CEO of a clothing company, Maniere De Voir.

1 Conor Wilkinson

Colchester United (League Two)

Conor Wilkinson signed on the same day as Hayden White for around £75,000 from Millwall and was seen as a potential promising youngster for Dougie Freedman’s Trotters.

Fans never took to the Irishman, though, with a seeming higher opinion of himself than his ability deserved, as is the case with a few of the players on this list.

In 17 appearances for Bolton, he failed to score once. He spent time out on loan at Chester, Torquay United, Oldham Athletic, Barnsley, Newport County, Portsmouth, and Chesterfield - scoring just ten in 57 appearances in those spells.

He has since gone on to play for Gillingham, Dagenham and Redbridge, Leyton Orient, Walsall and Motherwell but is now at Colchester United.