Having ended the 2013-14 campaign with a promising run of just two defeats in their final 16 matches, Bolton Wanderers went into the current season hoping to push for a top-half finish in the Championship.
Dougie Freedman brought in a number of players as he looked to achieve that goal, but the Trotters initially struggled with a substantial overhaul of players that included the departure of club captain Zat Knight.
The slow start was to prove costly for the Scottish manager, but a change at the helm has also brought with it a change of fortunes for the Lancashire outfit, who go into the second half of the season still eyeing a place in the top 12.
Here, Sports Mole takes a look at a topsy-turvy campaign so far.
August
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Things could not have started much worse for Bolton, whose opening match of the campaign was a tricky away trip to promotion hopefuls Watford. The Hornets ran out comfortable 3-0 winners at Vicarage Road to send the Trotters towards the bottom of the table from the very beginning of the campaign.
Progress in the League Cup followed at the newly-renamed Macron Stadium, although the 3-2 win over Bury was by no means convincing. Craig Davies needed to score a penalty in the 97th minute to force extra time against the League Two side, and a Neil Danns brace in the additional period completed the job.
A respectable 2-2 draw with early pacesetters Nottingham Forest gave Bolton their first point of the league campaign, but that would also prove to be their last of the month. Defeats to Middlesbrough, Brighton & Hove Albion and Leeds United followed, leaving the club winless after their first five games.
There was more drama in the second round of the League Cup, however, as Crewe Alexandra forced extra time with an equaliser in the eighth minute of stoppage time after Bolton had previously gone ahead in the 92nd minute. Once again, though, Freedman's side came out on top in the added 30 minutes to book their place in the third round.
September
A goalless draw against Sheffield Wednesday in the opening match of the month ended their three-game losing streak in the league, while the elusive first victory finally came just three days later. Joe Mason netted the club's first hat-trick since 2002 to inspire his side to a 3-2 victory over Rotherham United.
A tough run of fixtures followed, however, and Bolton were soon back in the bottom three courtesy of defeats to high-flying pair Wolverhampton Wanderers and Derby County. The latter of those results sparked angry protests from the fans, who called for both Freedman and club chairman Phil Gartside to stand down.
Their League Cup run also came to an end in September, although many would have expected them to fare worse having been drawn with Chelsea in the third round. The Premier League leaders emerged victorious at Stamford Bridge, but Bolton gave it a go and were only beaten by the odd goal in the end.
October
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Bolton started October in dreadful fashion as they fell to a convincing 4-0 defeat at the hands of Fulham at Craven Cottage, and that proved to be the final straw for the board. Manager Freedman was relieved of his duties after the match, leaving player-coach Andy Hughes and goalkeeping coach Lee Turner in charge for the game against Bournemouth.
They failed to stop the rot, however, as Bolton slumped to a fifth consecutive defeat despite the Cherries having a man sent off 10 minutes before half time. With the club sitting bottom of the table, they turned to Neil Lennon to change their fortunes, and the former Celtic boss had an immediate impact following his appointment.
Wanderers picked up just their second win of the season and their first away from home in his debut match in charge, beating 10-man Birmingham City 1-0 at St Andrew's to rise off the foot of the table. Defeat to Charlton Athletic followed, but Lennon was victorious again in his first home match at the helm, beating Brentford 3-1 at the Macron. However, an eventful month ended on a low note for the club as they were beaten by Norwich City at Carrow Road in front of the TV cameras.
November
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That proved to be the final defeat of the opening half of the season, however, as Lennon continued to turn things around and helped the club embark on an eight-match undefeated streak. The first result of the month gave a sign of things to come as Liam Feeney scored twice to help his side claim a comfortable 3-0 win over Cardiff City.
There were three more goals and three more points just a few days later as Lennon maintained his 100% home record in charge of the club with a 3-1 victory over local rivals Wigan Athletic that saw Bolton climb out of the relegation zone.
There was disappointment after the international break, however, as they were held to a draw by bottom-of-the-table Blackpool at Bloomfield Road. They returned to winning ways at the first time of asking, though, ending a successful month with a 1-0 victory over Huddersfield Town.
December
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Bolton began December with back-to-back goalless draws against Reading and Ipswich Town respectively, the latter of which saw the Trotters drop points at home for the first time under Lennon. It was still a good result against the high-flying Tractor Boys, however, as Bolton continued to edge up the table.
They made it four clean sheets in a row in their final match before Christmas, picking up only their second away league victory of the season with a 1-0 success over Millwall. Veteran striker Eidur Gudjohnsen started that match having rejoined the club on a free transfer, and Lennon struck a similar deal with Emile Heskey later in the month.
The move for the former England international paid immediate dividends as he came off the bench to net the equalising goal against Blackburn Rovers on Boxing Day. Bolton went on to win the match 2-1, extending their unbeaten streak to eight games. That run came to an end in their final match of the calendar year, however, with Huddersfield Town coming from a goal down to win 2-1.
Star man: Matt Mills
Must do better: Craig Davies
Where to strengthen in January: Attack
Position at start of 2015: 15th
Mid-season grade: C+
To see Bolton's remaining fixtures in 2014-15, click here.
