Neil Lennon paid tribute to his golden oldies yesterday after Bolton’s 3-0 win away to Cardiff City.
Emile Heskey and Eidur Gudjohnsen had both been out of the mainstream before being called in by Lennon to help fight off relegation from the Championship.
Late goals have been costing Bolton points in recent weeks but with Heskey and Gudjohnsen on song the visitors put three goals past David Marshall before the former Chelsea and Barcelona man was substituted in the 74th minute.
“You never lose the ability even if the legs start to go,” Lennon said afterwards. “But if you have got legs around them then it’s ok. They’ve made a huge contribution to what we are trying to do, on and off the field.
“It’s the first time we’ve been able to play those two together in a long time. In fact, the last time we did was away at Sheffield Wednesday when we won.
“Heskey has been a model of consistency and Eidur still has plenty left. His motivation is to get back into the Iceland squad, he’s done that and scored for his country which is a great story.
“It’s a great example to a lot of players in the Championship, there were a few eyebrows raised and a few sniggers behind our backs when we brought these two in, but people aren’t laughing now.
“We scored three outstanding goals, our midfield play is something we’ve been looking for for a while, and you’ve seen a glimpse of what we’re trying to do.”
The win lifts Bolton onto 49 points, generally seen as enough to avoid relegation, with eight clubs below them in the table.
After being tasked with taking the club away from the drop zone the former Celtic boss is starting to look upwards.
“We feel that we’re safe now, the next question is can we push on and finish the season strongly?” Lennon asked. “Our home form has been magnificent. We’re now trying to find the balance away from home.”
