Jon Dadi Bodvarsson sends message to Bolton supporters after long-awaited return | OneFootball

Bolton Wanderers striker Jon Dadi Bodvarsson has sent a message to fans after his long-awaited return to match action.

The 31-year-old has been out injured since January but was back involved on Saturday as the League One club travelled away to non-league side Bamber Bridge in their pre-season opener.

Bamber Bridge 0-1 Bolton

Randell Williams scored the only goal of the game, converting Kieran Sadlier's low cross in the 80th minute, as Ian Evatt's side began their pre-season schedule with a victory.

Getting minutes into legs was more important than the result, however, with Evatt naming completely different XIs in each half.

Among those involved were four new recruits - Josh Dacres-Cogley, Will Forrester and Nathan Baxter and Joel Coleman - and the returning Bodvarsson.

The Icelandic forward played up top alongside Dan N’Lundulu in the second half and nearly marked his return with a goal but saw his header ruled out for offside.

Jon Dadi Bodvarsson message to Bolton fans

Bodvarsson has been missing since January after being forced to have surgery on an ankle injury he suffered in the 3-0 win over Portsmouth back in January.

After six months of recovery, the Bolton forward certainly enjoyed being back on the pitch and has taken to Twitter to send a message to supporters to voice just that.

He said: "It felt good to play a game of football again since my injury in January. Nice to see you all yesterday."

When is Jon Dadi Bodvarsson out of contract at Bolton?

Bodvarsson's injury looked to have come at the worst time for the player as his contract was due to expire this summer.

But Bolton kept the faith in the forward and in June he was handed a one-year extension, which extends his stay at the UniBol until at least the end of the 2023/24 campaign.

The 31-year-old will no doubt be keen to prove to Evatt that he can contribute beyond next summer as he looks to earn another new contract.

Ian Evatt's Jon Dadi Bodvarsson prediction?

Speaking to the Bolton News earlier this summer, Evatt backed Bodvarsson to be a difference-maker for the League One side this season.

He said: "When you lose players like Jon or Jack for the whole season in January, I think we did well to get to where we did without those two players, especially when you factor in Rico’s injury, Gethin’s injury, Eoin Toal’s injury.

“You do need the rub of the green, we are going to need it this season. Yes, we will try and mitigate the risk as much as we can and make sure we do the work to make them physically robust but sometimes the contact injuries you just don’t know where they are going to come from.

“Having them back is massive – especially with a player like Jon, who can make a huge difference. I think people forget what an impact it had on us when he picked up the injury because he has been a very important player.”

On the 31-year-old he added: "With Jon, it is about keeping him in one piece, keeping him happy and keeping him enjoying his football, which he is doing.

“It is great to see him back and at this level he is a difference-maker.