An Ode To Amario
Ahead of what will be almost certainly his last game for Bolton Wanderers, I wanted to share some thoughts on a man who has captured the hearts of an entire town.
When Bolton signed Amario Cozier-Duberry on loan last summer, I must admit, I did not know a lot about him. Blackburn fans I spoke with talked of a player who threatened brilliance but failed to string successive performances together. Arsenal fans I know (Currently blocked on WhatsApp due to complete unbearableness) spoke of a highly-rated young player who was unfortunate to graduate from their Hale End academy as a Right-sided attacker when they are so blessed with young players in that position.
I'm not someone who generally gets excited about pre-season friendlies, I won't go out of my way to watch them. However, this year, the Hibernian game was live-streamed so I sat down and watched Bolton take on decent opposition in the SPFL.
I was instantly hooked.
This was the first time I saw Bolton starting to look like a Steven Schumacher side. The dynamic wide players was such a gear change from the patient, chess-like, build up play of the Ian Evatt years.
The star of the show, a young winger on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion who relentlessly, fearlessly tormented the Hibernian defence, including former Wanderer Jack Iredale who must’ve wondered what had happened at Bolton in the short time since his departure.
An eye-catchy performance at Easter Road was capped with a stunning goal. The type of strike we would become accustomed to seeing over the course of the coming season. Coming onto his wicked left foot and violently lashing past a goalkeeper who may as well not be there.
I instantly texted my friends (yes I do have some) and announced our impending return to the Championship as league winners as we had possibly the greatest player to grace this level. This may be a biased, slightly hyperbolic viewpoint but in truth, I can’t think of many others, Barry Bannan perhaps?
The talent is undeniable, he is destined to reach the top and his performance levels are at least on a par with those of Connor Bradley. He has been a sensational League One player and whilst my prediction of Bolton going the season undefeated with ACD potentially being the first League One player to receive a Ballon D’Or nomination were proven to be somewhat ambitious, he has been a standout player across the whole of the EFL, not just our division.
His talent is not what I will remember the most about Amario’s time at Bolton though.
What has stood out too, and the reason I believe he has become so loved at Bolton, is the way he plays the game. He is a complete joy to watch. The confidence and bravery he shows in possession is what all football fans want to see in a winger. He is constantly looking to impact the game with a smile across his face while he does so.
He is the classic ‘man for the moment’ type player who demands the ball at key moments in the game. He wants to be the match winner. He takes that responsibility as a senior player in the squad despite both his age and loan status.
Like so many young loanees before him, you can see how much he has taken to the club. Whilst he is absolutely Brighton’s player (and what a player they have), he has been ‘all-in’ on Bolton this year and he feels as much ours as theirs. ‘He’s our winger…’.
In a world where everything is debated endlessly, very few players are universally adored by fanbases and that is what ACD has managed to do in his year at Bolton.
Of course, tomorrow under the arch, he has the opportunity to write his name in Bolton history and you sense if Bolton are to get the better of Stockport on Sunday, it will be the star man who will fire them to a Championship return.
What is important to remember though, even if that doesn’t happen and tomorrow ends in crushing disappointment, is the absolute pleasure we have had this season watching Amario do his thing. I will be a fan for life, unless he goes to United.
They say don't fall in love with loan players …