Adam's Bolton Wanderers POTY: Ben Alnwick

Firstly, for the first time in years the decision on who to award Player of the Year to was a hard one.

For that Parky and the lads deserve a tremendous amount of praise, they have brought the feel good factor back to the club and putting bums on seats and no matter what happens from here I'd like to say well done lads you've done well.

The award could have gone to a number of players with that being said honourable mentions go to: David Wheater, Mark Beevers and Andrew Taylor.

All three of these have had remarkable campaigns and would have won the award hands down on any other year.

However in my eyes the award can only go to one man. That man is Ben Alnwick.

Alnwick was brought to the club as deputy to Mark Howard on deadline day in the summer transfer window providing Bolton Wanderers with stability in the goalkeeping department.

Howard enjoyed a brilliant start to the campaign and when he injured himself during the Peterborough away game I feared the worst. These fears increased when Alnwick had a debut to forget at his former employers leading me to predict the worst.

However, these fears soon subsided. Alnwick came into the fold and made the spot his own keeping 4 consecutive league clean sheets. His communication with the defence was outstanding and something that has lacked in recent times.

Bolton's form spiked with us winning 6 out of the next 7 games Alnwick was between the sticks and it was no coincidence. Countless times he came up with crucial saves at crucial moments to keep us level or ahead.

It is safe to say Alnwick even in his first month of being no.1 saved Wanderers half a dozen points.

His form continued into the new year and Wanderers defence continued in its good form becoming the leagues meanest defence.

Alnwick of course had a bad day as happens at Bradford and will hold his hands up to the mistakes he made. He was subsequently dropped for the returning Howard. However despite Howard being a very good goalkeeper in the two games he replaced Alnwick in he was sorely missed which speaks volumes for the displays he regularly puts in.

Alnwick returned at the start of March and has been instrumental in the uplift in form again making some unbelievable saves most notably a mesmerising one against Oxford United a couple of games ago.

Sadly Alnwick has had a season ending injury but he has put his lasting mark on this campaign and has been a focal point in the push for promotion allowing Bolton to sit on the cusp of something special.