How Bolton Wanderers laughed to the bank after Sheffield Wednesday transfer decision | OneFootball

Gary Madine was a solid addition to the Bolton frontline in 2015, even during some disappointing years for the Trotters

The 2015/16 campaign does not live long in the memories of Bolton Wanderers fans, as it ended in relegation to the third tier for the first time since 1993.

However, the summer window did see them bring in a frontman who would lead the line sufficiently over the coming two-and-a-half years, to the point where the Trotters would end up making a great profit on him.

Indeed, Gary Madine would arrive at the then-Macron Stadium in the summer on a free transfer after being let go by Sheffield Wednesday at the end of the 2014/15 campaign.

At Hillsborough, Madine was a big part of Wednesday's promotion into the Championship in 2012, netting a team-high 18 goals en route to a second-placed finish.

But in the second tier, he couldn't replicate that scoring form and would end up enduring loan spells at Carlisle United, Coventry City (both in League One at the time) and then-second-tier side Blackpool before his release.

Bolton were a side seemingly in freefall down the Championship, so could only really take punts on those who had the potential to become a top second-tier striker.

In Madine's case, he may not have been able to save them from relegation in his first season, but his Championship qualities were on show thereafter.

Gary Madine's best football was played at Bolton Wanderers

At the end of Madine's first season at the Macron Stadium, Bolton fans were forgiven for feeling that the then-25-year-old's arrival was a bit of a waste of time.

The Trotters won just five games all season, finishing rock bottom and succumbing to relegation to League One, while they needed a replay to get past non-league Eastleigh in the FA Cup third round before falling to Leeds United. Overall, Madine would score six times in all competitions.

But his best year at Sheffield Wednesday had come when the Owls were a top League One side, and with the pedigree that Bolton had in the third tier, the frontman was sure to stand out a lot more.

Bolton would win their first four games in the 16/17 season, almost equalling their win tally from the entire previous campaign within a month. Madine would net three in his opening five, and that would set the tone for a year that he'd score 10 and assist eight in all competitions.

The Trotters were in and around the top three for the entirety of 2017, and a run of eight wins in their last 12 games saw them pip Scunthorpe United to second and secure an immediate Championship return.

Questions were asked about whether Madine could keep this honest scoring record up in the second tier this time, as his previous scoring record in the Championship left a lot to be desired, and memories of his failure to step up for Wednesday were starting to surface once more. However, the frontman not only maintained his standards, but he exceeded them.

10 goals and six assists in 26 games, including a run of eight in 14 from late October to mid-January, had Bolton fans raving about their striker. What looked to be shaping up to be an immediate relegation year, after picking up just two points in their opening nine games, was looking overly positive heading into the second half of the season.

Gary Madine would secure a near-Premier League move following red-hot Bolton form, but never recaptured his scoring touch

Unfortunately, Bolton wouldn't be going into the second half of the season with Madine leading their line, as promotion-chasing Cardiff City would spend £6 million to bring the then-27-year-old to the Welsh capital.

The Trotters would end up surviving in the Championship by just two points, but even at the end of the season, Madine wound up their top scorer and was responsible for over 25% of the league goals they scored.

Unfortunately, those would be the only goals Madine would score that year, as he failed to hit the ground running at all at Cardiff, failing to score in 13 appearances, just five of which were starts.

The Bluebirds would end up securing promotion to the Premier League, which ultimately pushed him further down the pecking order, and after five cameo appearances in the top flight, he would be sent out on loan to Sheffield United.

Come January 2020, he would have his Cardiff contract cancelled, having never scored for the club. It was, in the end, a massive waste of money.

While Bolton fans look back on the time that Madine played for them rather negatively, not much of that was down to the impact that the frontman had at the club. He was always a reliable striker, and one that Sheffield Wednesday fans will always be somewhat surprised cost £6 million a few years after they let him go for nothing.