Declan John opens up on start to life at Bolton and aims for a Wales return

Declan John has spent a few years in the footballing wilderness but he is now finding his feet again at Bolton Wanderers.

The 25-year-old made a loan move to Bolton back in January after making just one league appearance for parent club Swansea in the last season and a half.

John is back playing consistent football which he’s struggled to find recently and is enjoying being back in the competitive football environment.

He has impressed since moving to Lancashire, scoring his first two goals in professional football, winning the PFA Fans Player of the Month award for February.

“It’s been great. Obviously, I was down with Swansea out of the first team with the reserves and training with the 23s. Now it’s just really nice to be back playing.

“I think if you ask any player I think it’s just all about playing games. All the games have been Saturday, Tuesday which is quite lucky for me because I obviously needed it for the fitness.

“So it’s been good, it has been around eight or nine games so now just hopefully try and keep the wins going and stay fit.”

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Ian Evatt’s side are currently on an 11-game unbeaten run and John’s recent good form has sparked rumours of a permanent move to the University of Bolton Stadium.

However, the former Cardiff City academy graduate isn’t looking too far into the future and is focusing on the current task at hand.

“I’m kind of just taking each game as it comes at the minute,” revealed the former Bluebirds defender.

“My contract is up with Swansea at the end of the season so perhaps I’ll just take a break and a bit of time in the summer and just go from there really.

“Obviously it’s all about trying to finish this season on a high, you know I can’t really look any further than the end of this season.

“I think I can still play in the Championship week in week out, I back myself to do that so I just have to keep working hard and see where it goes.”

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Being more of an attacking full-back, John has relished playing in a style that’s allowed him to affect the game in an attacking sense as equally as a defensive one.

“It’s been really good. On day one I spoke to the gaffer and he was just kind of speaking to me about getting forward. Obviously, I do that anyway in my game, so I was really happy to have the backing off of him.

“I knew I could always do that in my game, but it was more just being in the right place at the right time as well.

“Of course as a full back your kind of sprinting 60 or 70 yards up the pitch trying to overlap and trying to get in on the action. But obviously really happy to score on my first start for the club and then getting the second the game after that as well.”

This season has been the first in League Two for Bolton since 1988 as well as the first experience of fourth-tier football for John.

But the former Premier League player has taken quickly to the league and is now set on trying to help such a massive club begin a rise back to the top levels of English football.

“It was good, you know perhaps it took me kind of two or three games to get my fitness back up but no I’ve enjoyed it.

“I think if you look at the table now from where we were a few weeks ago looking back to the start of January sitting 19th or 20th I just couldn’t really believe it. Everyone knows how big the club is with the fanbase, the stadium, and the training ground as well.

“I think this club has got to be playing at least Championship football week in week out. You know we’re sixth in the table at the minute so you know we’ll just have to take each game as it comes and see where we end up.”

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Such performances could prompt a potential re-call to the Welsh senior team, for now, though, it remains unlikely that he will make his way back immediately after being omitted from the latest squad.

With the likes of Neco Williams and Rhys Norrington-Davies emerging in recent years, the international scene has become different since John has been involved.

He’s had to accept his fate with those ahead of him playing regularly at a higher level being preferred whilst he waited in the swings with Swansea.

His last call up to the Welsh national team came in March 2019 where he was an unused substitute in their win over Slovakia.

John’s last cap came as a substitute in a 1-0 friendly victory over Trinidad & Tobago but he is keen to add to the seven caps he’s accumulated so far.

“It’s about trying to work as hard as I can and perhaps work my way back in there at some point,” said John.

“Obviously you know playing for your country is probably the best honour you could have.

“It’s about trying to work as hard as I can and perhaps work my way back in there at some point. But I’ve just got to keep playing well for my club and you can only see what happens in the future then.”

He may have to settle for watching the European Championships on the television this summer but he is still able to put praise on some players he will have played alongside within the age group teams.

“I mean the age groups over the last few years have been so good. You look at the players that we’re bringing through now and the real strength in depth of the first team heading into the Euros will make it really good to watch.”

(Featured Image: Lewis Mitchell)