Holden nears Bolton return

Stuart Holden is making giants strides towards making a first-team comeback early in the New Year for Bolton Wanderers.

The influential American midfielder has not played a game since October 2011 as he recovers from a second major knee operation which left his career hanging in the balance.

Holden has spent the last 10 months in rehab back in his homeland but returned to Lancashire recently and was given the green light to start training last week.

Wanderers were not expecting the player to be back until early February but club insiders have suggested Holden's progress is such, boss Dougie Freedman could have him back inside the next month.

That would be a massive boost to the Lancashire outfit, who travel to take on Peterborough United this weekend and are quoted 2.05 (draw 3.50 Peterborough 3.40 - 90 minutes).

Freedman's team are slowly starting to climb the Championship table after the recent managerial upheaval of dispensing with the services of Owen Coyle. Wanderers are priced up 8.00 in the Championship to be promoted betting.

Holden insists the Christmas period is also the perfect time for him to put all his injury woes into context, having recently set up a charity called 'Holden's Gifts for Hope', which collects food and clothes for the needy.

Holden says: "No matter how bad you have it, there's more than likely someone who has it worse."

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