Max Conway (Bolton Wanderers)
Max Conway came through the Bolton Wanderers academy and spent several seasons developing through loan spells before establishing himself in senior football. Early loans took him into non-league with Buxton, Rochdale and AFC Fylde, where he gained regular first-team experience and built up a strong number of appearances at senior level. Those spells were largely about minutes and development, but they helped him transition from academy football into the senior game across multiple levels.
A more significant step came with a season-long loan at Crewe Alexandra, where he played every league match and was voted the club’s Player of the Year, marking him out as a reliable and consistent performer over a full season. He returned to Bolton and became more involved in the first-team picture, featuring regularly during the 2025-26 season, where he has started over 30 league matches and contributed two assists, operating mainly on the left side and playing a large number of minutes across the campaign.
If Josh Honohan is seen as a right-back, then we may need a left-back, and Max Conway looks solid. I know he’s one we looked at last season, John Helm mentioned it in comms early in the campaign, and the numbers look good. Conway is up and down, a threat going forward, but able to get back quickly and do the defensive work.
Elements of the 22-year-old’s game are very Darikwa-esque, but he is vital to Bolton at the moment. However, if we were to go up, and they were to stay down, could the lure of Championship football be a big thing? Remember, Erhahon, Roughan and O’Connor, to name three, all took moves away to further aspirations of second-tier football, so would a young player leave a bigger club for us if we could offer that level? Maybe.