‘It was a no-brainer to come’ – Crainey made the decision to leave Wigan for Bolton

STEPHEN Crainey believes he can add something extra to Bolton Wanderers’ quest for League One success this season.

The 43-year-old Scot left Wigan Athletic this week to join his former Blackpool team-mate Ian Evatt at the back of the Toughsheet Stadium.

Former Celtic defender Crainey had a playing career spanning 19 years and over 400 games and since hanging up his boots he has also temporarily taken charge of Fleetwood Town in the second half of the 2021/22 campaign.

He worked with Wigan’s youth team last term and was promoted to Shaun Maloney’s first team, but felt the opportunity to team up with Evatt at Bolton was too hard to turn down.

“I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “I’ve had a few previous roles looking after U21 teams and I’ve had a few bits of experience as well in first-team roles and responsibilities, so when the gaffer called me to come in and be a part of it. coaching staff I was excited to come.

“As soon as he made that contact, I wanted to be here and try to help an already incredibly knowledgeable staff and hopefully I can add to that.

“Bolton are a huge club and it was a no-brainer to come. I am very excited about the challenge and the good thing is that I will be in pre-season and the trip to Portugal.

“I can’t wait to get on the grass. There I feel I get along with them and know the players as well. I’m looking forward to that side of things and excited for the challenge ahead.

“The players have been well rested now so they will come fresh and hopefully we can get going from the start.”

After last season’s defeat in the play-off final, Wanderers carried out a thorough analysis to assess what areas they felt they needed to improve in order to improve their fortunes this time around.

Chairman Sharon Brittan says the club will redirect available funds to the playing squad to ensure they are as competitive as possible, knowing full well that some substantial budgets are about to enter League One.

Crainey says he has the experience to help a Bolton side he believes should be challenging at the top of the table.

“Hopefully we can all come together and have a really good season,” he said.

“I had a really good relationship with the manager and we had some incredible times at Blackpool as players. That’s all in the past and now we’re on the other side as coaches and we’re excited about the new season ahead.

“We want to be in every game this season, win as many games as possible and see where it takes us at the end of the season and hopefully it can be a good one.

“I’ve been involved in League One for the last six or seven years in some capacity so hopefully that knowledge can help on top of the incredible knowledge of the staff we already have. I hope I can add to it and improve it and we can all help each other. It’s all about winning football games and that’s what we’re here to do.

“It’s a really talented group (of players). We saw that first hand last season, so hopefully we can add to that. I’m sure the manager will look to do that. The players now in the building are top players for League One and hopefully they can deliver what they did last season and more.”

Crainey’s former club Wigan Athletic wished him well after confirming they had agreed a compensation package with Wanderers for his services.

“Wigan Athletic can confirm that Stephen Crainey has left the football club to take up an assistant manager role at Bolton Wanderers after the two clubs agreed a compensation package,” a statement read.

“Crainey returned to the Brick Community Stadium in November 2022, having been appointed as the club’s professional head coach after four years with Fleetwood Town.

“After a season with the club’s U21s, Crainey was promoted to the role of first team coach at the start of the 2023/24 campaign by first team manager Shaun Maloney.

“After 12 months in his new role, Crainey has expressed his interest in taking up an opportunity with his former team-mate Ian Evatt at Bolton Wanderers, with whom he played alongside at Blackpool. A compensation package was therefore agreed with Bolton.

“We would like to thank Stephen for his efforts during his time at Wigan Athletic and wish him well.”