Sam Dalby capped his first season at Bolton Wanderers by winning the club's Player of the Year award after scoring 13 goals and helping push the team into Sunday's League One play-off final against Stockport County at Wembley. The 26-year-old said he was not expecting the prize, but called it a huge moment after a season in which he also collected Bolton's Golden Boot.
Dalby returned from an ankle injury in time for Bolton's 2-0 aggregate semi-final win over Bradford City, a relief after missing the final two league matches of the regular season. He said he cannot wait to get going again and admitted it is never easy being sidelined, whether a team is winning, losing or drawing, because he wants to be on the pitch helping out.
That return matters because Bolton's season now comes down to one match. The club meets Stockport County on Sunday with promotion from League One on the line, and Dalby said the group has to ignore the noise and give everything it has at this stage of the campaign. He added that all that matters now is getting the result, with the performance needing to come first and everything else expected to follow.
Dalby arrived at Bolton last summer after Wrexham offered him a new deal, choosing instead to move on after a spell that brought back-to-back promotions. He joined Wrexham from Southend United in the summer of 2022 and scored seven league goals for them across two seasons that ended with celebrations, before spending the 2024-25 season on loan with Dundee United.
His goals have been a major part of Bolton's run, and the award reflects how quickly he settled into the side. Dalby said he would like to improve on his return if he can, but that the number itself does not bother him. For Bolton, the immediate task is simpler and larger at the same time: one game at Wembley, one chance to turn a strong season into promotion.
