Bolton Wanderers 2 - 0 Oldham Athletic - Man of the Match: Tom Thorpe

I'd almost forgotten what it feels like to see us win a game of football and feel genuinely happy about it on the way home. The Whites were brilliant against our old foes Oldham, but there was one player in particular who really stood out for me: Tom Thorpe.

The former Manchester United youth team captain, as we all know, is a centre half by trade, but this weekend he operated as a holding midfield player and absolutely excelled. Showing real determination and grit in the middle of the park, he looked hungry to win every loose ball, diving into tackles all over the place. When he did get hold of the ball, he was calm and composed in possession and rarely squandered it. His inclusion in the team gave our back four an extra bit of protection that Jay Spearing often struggles to provide. He reminded me of Fabrice Muamba a little bit - breaking up play at every opportunity and doing all the simple things in the right way.

As Thorpe held his place in that anchoring role, it allowed Spearing to push further forward and support the attack a little more - something I feel has been stifled from his game in recent weeks. We all know what he can do from 25 yards.

I'm sure many of you will feel as though Zach Clough deserves the award this week, but I'd have to disagree. I hope Thorpe's performance today has cemented his place in our starting XI for the foreseeable future; in all honesty, we would've been fucked without him.

He might look like a Shoreditch hipster, but he's a bloody good footballer.