Bolton Wanderers hit the jackpot with former Cardiff and Preston striker | OneFootball

Bolton Wanderers hit the jackpot with the signing of Eoin Doyle on a free transfer in the summer of 2020.

The 2019/20 season began with Bolton Wanderers in administration and hit by a 12-point deduction from the EFL, fielding teams of youngsters to an array of 5-0 hammerings and on the verge of liquidation.

The end of August saw the takeover of the club by Football Ventures, and they helped assist Bolton with the rebuilding of a broken club and organisation, with relegation to League Two an inevitability that was confirmed by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the stoppage of football.

The summer of 2020 saw Bolton begin a major transformation both on and off the pitch with the appointment of Barrow boss Ian Evatt being followed by over 20 incoming signings.

The very first signing of that transfer window saw the arrival of Eoin Doyle on a free transfer from Swindon Town; a statement of intent from the ownership group.

No matter his quality, though, it was always a tough ask for anyone to come into that environment, but Bolton began to mend themselves – and Doyle turned out to be the on-pitch embodiment of them beginning their rise back from the fourth-tier.

Eoin Doyle was immense for Bolton Wanderers in League Two

Having been the top scorer in the division for Swindon Town in the 2019/20 campaign, hitting 25 goals in 28 appearances for Swindon, the signing of Eoin Doyle on a free transfer from the Robins was a major coup for a Bolton side with no squad to speak of at the start of the 2020/21 season.

The Irishman was tasked with being the star man in a Bolton side that demanded an immediate return to the third-tier and above, and a lot of pressure came as a result. Doyle, of course, arrived with pedigree above League Two, having formerly turned out for the likes of Cardiff City and Preston North End in the Championship.

After a slow-ish start to his time of it at Bolton, in which he scored just twice in their opening eight games and then missed a further three due to injury, Doyle hit the ground running in mid-November.

A run of six goals in six games, which included some crucial strikes against Salford City and Stevenage, saw Bolton begin to climb back up the table.

However, by early February, the Trotters were in a relegation battle to avoid dropping into non-league football for the first time ever; before a remarkable run of form saw them propel themselves to third and gain automatic promotion.

That remarkable run of form saw Doyle contribute with 11 goals and two assists in their final 24 games of the season as they launched themselves from 18th to third.

Doyle became a talismanic figure at the head of an impressive Bolton eleven that consisted of the likes of Kieran Lee and Dapo Afolayan; with some notable all-round performances along the way.

The game that stands out the most as one in which Bolton fans began to believe they truly were going to achieve the remarkable is when they defeated Forest Green Rovers by a goal to nil at the New Lawn in March, with Doyle scoring an excellent volley from a Nathan Delfouneso cross.

Doyle’s performances were loved by Bolton supporters and his celebrations late at night with the fans back at the stadium after a 4-1 win down at Crawley Town will always be remembered fondly by the fans.

Eoin Doyle remains fondly remembered by Bolton Wanderers fans

After half a season in League One in which Doyle’s legs did appear to be going, Doyle returned to the League of Ireland to join Shelbourne in January 2022.

He still had his moments in that campaign, though, including the winning goal to get Bolton their first victory back in the third-tier with a 2-1 win over Oxford United in August 2021.

Bolton are still not yet out of League One despite what the club expects and demands, but they are out of the mire of where they were due to a lot of hard work off the field – but the on-pitch work in the 2020/21 campaign cannot and should not go unnoticed for the bigger picture.

Whatever and wherever Bolton do eventually get to in the coming half a decade will always be linked back to the ability that Doyle showed under immense pressure half a decade or so ago.

There are many players from that League Two promotion-winning campaign, such as captain at the time Antoni Sarcevic and eventual captain Ricardo Santos, that have had indifferent relationships with Bolton supporters during and after their time at the club.

Doyle, though, who became Bolton’s highest league scorer since Michael Ricketts when he notched 19 to help Wanderers up from their lowest, is someone who is remembered very well by Whites fans.