Spearing : 'It’s a massive honour to have been named as club captain'

Speaking to Bolton Wanderers' official website yesterday Jay Spearing revealed his great pride in becoming the club's new captain. The 25-year-old midfielder will succeed Zat Knight in wearing the captain's armband at the Macron Stadium this season.

The Liverpudlian wore the armband on various occasions last season due to Knight's absence from the starting 11; however, he will take the role up permanently on and off the pitch for the Wanderers' 2014-15 SkyBet Championship campaign.

Spearing arrived for his second spell at the club last year after a reported fee of £1.5m was agreed for the Liverpool academy graduate. Since then he has gone on to become an integral member of Dougie Freedman's side, appearing in every league game last season bar one. Combined with his strong bond with the fans and his high levels of passion and dedication, I feel that he's the right man for the job.

Speaking to bwfc.co.uk this is what Spearing had to say about his appointment as club captain,

"It's a massive honour to have been named as club captain"

"Having seen the great players who have previously had this honour, it is a very proud moment in my career.'

In an official statement by the club Matt Mills was also announced as the new vice captain. After a shaky first 12 months to his Wanderers career, Mills overcame criticism and transfer speculation to cement his place in the team, forming a strong partnership with Tim Ream (and others) at the centre of defence.

Mills appears to be very popular amongst the Bolton squad, which would have helped him cement this new leadership role. According to the Bolton News' chief football writer Marc Illes' twitter, Mills was reportedly 'made up' after learning about his new role for the forthcoming season.

When asked, this is what Dougie Freedman, had to say about the club's new appointments:

"We've built up many leaders in our current group, and Jay and Matt are two of the players who are at the forefront of what we're trying to do here.''

"They both have a very good feeling for this club and know what is required to step up and lead from the front."