How injury return for Bolton striker & Southampton loanee coincides with timely Portsmouth reunion
Pompey fans will once again be reunited with Southampton loanee Dan N’Lundulu when Bolton travel to PO4 on Tuesday night.
As many will remember, the Saints striker was singled out by the travelling Fratton faithful for some choice words during the Blues’ 2-0 win over Cheltenham at the start of the season.
After netting four goals in 23 games for the Robins during the first half of the campaign, the 24-year-old swapped the League One strugglers for promotion hopefuls Bolton last month.
It just so happened that N’Lundulu’s first game for the Trotters last month saw him on the receiving end of further stick from Pompey supporters as they made the trip to the University of Bolton Stadium on January 14.
Now his comeback from a recent hamstring injury looks set to coincide with Ian Evatt’s side’s visit to Fratton Park.
The Southampton youngster had been out for a month with the complaint, making his comeback as a second-half substitute in Bolton’s 2-1 win against Port Vale on Saturday.
N’Lundulu’s availability will see him in contention to feature against the Blues for a third time this season, and the Fratton Park fans will no doubt be keen to ensure another eventful 90 minutes for the 24-year-old.
Ahead of the contest, Bolton head coach Evatt revealed the forward will be in line to feature at PO4 as he continues his recovery from injury.
He told The Bolton News: ‘We have managed to keep one or two fresh for Tuesday and it will be another difficult game but it is all about how much we can recover, mentally and physically. We have to go again.
‘As I have said, it may not be pretty for the next couple of games but it is all about the result for us at the moment.
‘He (N’Lundulu) was blowing when he came off because he has only had a couple of days in training and the intensity we play at, especially in that game, it is hard to get your second wind as a substitute.
‘It is great to have him back in one piece and the bodies are returning all the time now, which is fantastic.’
N’Lundulu’s visit to Fratton Park comes just three days after his former Robins boss and fellow Southampton fan, Wade Elliott, was at the centre of a number of chants surrounding his loyalties during Cheltenham’s 4-0 defeat to Pompey on Saturday.