Max Conway on Wanderers breakthrough, Steven Schumacher and living the dream
Max Conway on his way to scoring a fine solo goal against Shrewsbury Town in pre-season (Image: Malcolm Couzens)MAX Conway has been a face in the Wanderers crowd since the age of eight, and now he’s hearing his name being sung on those same terraces.The young defender’s rise over the opening games of this season has been Boy’s Own stuff – a genuine homegrown talent finding his way into the first team and thriving there.AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementAfter succeeding in a loan spell with Crewe Alexandra, all eyes were on whether he could return to Bolton this summer and impress Steven Schumacher enough to force his way into a new-look squad.But not only has Conway managed to stick around, he has cemented the left-back berth with some eye-catching performances.The Lostock Academy takes pride in every one of the players who pass through their gates – and with Conway, the opportunity to represent the many coaches and team-mates who have helped him get this far is one he does not want to miss.“I’ve been here since the age of seven, so to finally get my chance, it’s very special,” he told The Bolton News. “The other day before we played Sheffield Wednesday we had a pre-match at the training ground and the kids were coming in as we were going over to the stadium.AdvertisementAdvertisement Advertisement“I saw my Under-11 coach, Keith (Branagan), as he had a few nice words to say to me, so I feel really comfortable at Bolton.“This is where I have spent three quarters of my life playing football. I know all the faces, it is all so familiar.“And from as long as I can remember the goal has been to go as far as I can with Bolton.“When you have been at a club for so long, it means a lot when you get that chance.”There are no guarantees for young footballers, even those who manage to negotiate the whole academy journey like Conway.And in recent times at Wanderers, circumstances have been such that relatively few players have made the leap from youth team to senior football.AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementWith the arrival of Steven Schumacher as head coach and Fergal Harkin as the sporting director this year, a closed door was pushed open once more. Julian Darby’s exciting Under-19s champions supplied some fresh faces with bright futures and Sam Inwood also made a promising transition from B Team to the senior ranks.Max Conway gets a high five from manager Steven Schumacher after the Barnsley game (Image: CameraSport - Alex Dodd)Conway has been spoken about in first team circles for a long time and a series of loans, from Buxton, Rochdale and Fylde to Crewe put him into the position where this season was his big chance to prove his readiness.The defender won Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year at Gresty Road, starting 46 games, and the possibility of staying on, or moving elsewhere on loan to guarantee the same first team exposure was something he mulled over at the start of the summer.AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementSchumacher had watched him play for the Railwaymen against Cheltenham and went on to research his games in League Two to offer some advice on where he could improve.Read moreThe Big Match Verdict: Why Wanderers are such a watchable work in progressTen things we have learned about Bolton Wanderers over pre-seasonSharon Brittan: Player trading, living 'dream' & when she will consider an exitAnd that attention to detail convinced Conway that fighting for a place in the Bolton squad was this season’s target.“All I want to do is play and progress,” he said. “Of course, I loved playing at Crewe. I always thought I’d want to play higher but when you actually get the chance to play so many games and be a part of that then, yeah, I did think that if it meant playing another couple of years there I’d do it because it meant I was getting regular football.AdvertisementAdvertisement Advertisement“I had seen before that the manager had brought players through at other clubs. I thought it would be really good to work under him and to try and develop.“And even in the short space of time that we have worked together I can already see what he has done for me. I’m really enjoying it at the moment.”Wanderers’ fans are clamouring for the club to secure Conway’s future, and the news that he qualifies to play for South Africa through a grandparent has also reached the right desks in Johannesburg.A bright future is unfolding for the 21-year-old but, in a refreshing change to the starry-eyed youngsters who step up and fail to keep up their early momentum, Conway wants to keep his feet firmly on the ground.AdvertisementAdvertisement Advertisement“I hope other lads in the academy can see I have got a chance and try to do the same thing,” he said. “But at the same time I am not standing here and thinking I have made it.“I don’t want to get carried away. I have played three games.“I want to play as many as possible. When I get to that stage then maybe that’s when the lads can really start looking at me and asking ‘what has he done to get there?’“I just want to keep my head down, work hard and keep playing football.”
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