Bolton Wanderers keeper Gavin Bazunu looking to the future

The Republic of Ireland international produced a stunning display on Saturday lunchtime to help Bolton end a four-game losing streak, with Thierry Gale’s 90th minute header enough to sink Cardiff City.

Bazunu pulled off 10 saves in the game to keep the Bluebirds at bay, bouncing back from a late error made against West Ham United on his debut in midweek.

The 24-year-old terminated his contract with Southampton to facilitate his move to the Toughsheet Stadium last month and is determined both to recapture his top form and become mentally stronger after coming through a difficult spell in his career.

“It is the thing I wanted to work on most coming into this year,” he told The Bolton News.

“I want to take any errors and put them to one side, compartmentalise them, and go again because that’s what you need being a goalkeeper.

“Take Tuesday night, if I had let it linger then I wouldn’t have been able to play the way I did today.

“I feel I can be a better goalkeeper here, it’s what I’m here to do – play games, be in a team, look forward.

And that will be my challenge against every team in this division, get minutes and show my quality.”

Bazunu revealed he had not played for “three or four months” before his appearance against West Ham last Tuesday and he had gone into this summer looking to find a move elsewhere, after dropping well out of the reckoning with Southampton.

“It was one that I had on the cards quite early in the summer,” he said.

“It was most likely going to be a loan and at that stage I wanted a permanent move.

“Southampton then started looking for a permanent move and that’s why nothing really materialised early on until the end of the window.

“When I knew it was potentially an option to come here it was one I really wanted to jump at because having worked with and known Fergal (Harkin) for a long time, it made that line of communication and the decision very easy for me.”

Wanderers moved up to 17th place in the Championship table with the win against Cardiff, and Bazunu already feels confident that the club can stabilise at this level of football this season.

“If you look at the previous four games to today's one, the performances we've put in, we've done enough to win every single game,” he said.

“That can be sometimes more difficult because you know you're good enough and you're just not getting the results.

So, to get the result today should hopefully spur us on to bring that into the next few games and bring that same level of quality, same level of energy, and hopefully come out with the results next time.

“It's enjoyable to play for this team.

It's a big reason for coming here as well.

I want to be in a team who wants to be quite open and expansive and exciting to play in.”

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