Medo Kamara is loving the rough and tumble of Championship football with Wanderers.
The 26-year-old may not be the typical heavyweight build for a midfield enforcer but he is not afraid to get stuck into a scrap as he’s proven on many occasions since his arrival at the start of 2013 from Partizan Belgrade.
Along with another diminutive dynamo, Jay Spearing, the pair have formed an impressive wall for the Whites back line in the current eight-match unbeaten run.
And the Sierra Leone international believes the duo will only grow stronger, challenging their Championship contenders to keep bringing on the battles.
Medo said: “I love playing with Jay – he has a heart just like mine and we feel the exact same when we are playing.
“We are not the tallest of players but height doesn’t matter.
“We have a strong squad and have built on that with the players we have signed on loan.
“We are all fighting hard to win games and climb the league table.
“I believe it will only be a matter of time until we are winning games on a consistent basis.
“We have shown real improvement in recent games.
“We just need a bit of luck but we will definitely get there.”
With Medo and Spearing willing to get stuck in, Wanderers have every chance of extending their undefeated run to nine matches at Middlesbrough on Saturday.
It will be another tough away test for Dougie Freedman’s men but not much intimidates Medo who has played 28 times for the Whites.
From an early age he has battled against the odds to come out on top, going from local football against older boys back in West Africa to Champions League football with Partizan to the English game.
They are experiences that Medo believe has forged his style of play in the engine room after initially starting out as a striker.
He said: “I started playing football from an early age with my friends and all I ever wanted to do was to become a professional.
“Both my dad and brother used to take me to play with all the other lads after school.
“My dad used to play for a local team until a bad injury and my brother still plays back in Sierra Leone, so it has been a game that has always been in my family.
“My first competitive game was a league match for a local team.
“I was playing for their development squad even though I was only 13 years of age.
“I didn’t want to always play with my own age because I believed I could do more than them on the pitch.
“I remember that game because I was kicked and bullied and I remember my dad thinking I should not be playing at a level where everybody was a lot older than me.
“However, I still played and I scored so from that moment I always played at that level.
“I was always going to be small compared to the rest of the players and I used to get knocked about but it didn’t matter to me because I just wanted to play football.
“I started out as a striker but a local priest who actually coached our team decided to put me as a defending player and I did well so I have stayed there ever since.
“Those experiences have made me the player that I am today.
“I have been dragged around a lot on the pitch but for all the times I have been knocked I have come back and to this day I still love getting stuck in and putting in a tackle.”
The tackles will surely come thick and fast over the busy festive schedule for Medo who will mark one year at Wanderers in January.
And he admits life since he joined could not have gone much better, becoming a father for the first time earlier this year.
He said: “I had two-and-a-half fantastic years in Serbia with Partizan.
“They were playing in the Champions League and that will be an experience I will never forget.
“I have played against teams like Arsenal and Inter Milan and it was unbelievable.
“But now I’m really enjoying life in England at Bolton Wanderers.
“This year has been memorable for me in so many ways – as well as joining Bolton, I have become a dad for the first time so it has been incredible.
“It has been an amazing experience playing for the club and hopefully next year will be even better.”
The 26-year-old may not be the typical heavyweight build for a midfield enforcer but he is not afraid to get stuck into a scrap as he’s proven on many occasions since his arrival at the start of 2013 from Partizan Belgrade.
Along with another diminutive dynamo, Jay Spearing, the pair have formed an impressive wall for the Whites back line in the current eight-match unbeaten run.
And the Sierra Leone international believes the duo will only grow stronger, challenging their Championship contenders to keep bringing on the battles.
Medo said: “I love playing with Jay – he has a heart just like mine and we feel the exact same when we are playing.
“We are not the tallest of players but height doesn’t matter.
“We have a strong squad and have built on that with the players we have signed on loan.
“We are all fighting hard to win games and climb the league table.
“I believe it will only be a matter of time until we are winning games on a consistent basis.
“We have shown real improvement in recent games.
“We just need a bit of luck but we will definitely get there.”
With Medo and Spearing willing to get stuck in, Wanderers have every chance of extending their undefeated run to nine matches at Middlesbrough on Saturday.
It will be another tough away test for Dougie Freedman’s men but not much intimidates Medo who has played 28 times for the Whites.
From an early age he has battled against the odds to come out on top, going from local football against older boys back in West Africa to Champions League football with Partizan to the English game.
They are experiences that Medo believe has forged his style of play in the engine room after initially starting out as a striker.
He said: “I started playing football from an early age with my friends and all I ever wanted to do was to become a professional.
“Both my dad and brother used to take me to play with all the other lads after school.
“My dad used to play for a local team until a bad injury and my brother still plays back in Sierra Leone, so it has been a game that has always been in my family.
“My first competitive game was a league match for a local team.
“I was playing for their development squad even though I was only 13 years of age.
“I didn’t want to always play with my own age because I believed I could do more than them on the pitch.
“I remember that game because I was kicked and bullied and I remember my dad thinking I should not be playing at a level where everybody was a lot older than me.
“However, I still played and I scored so from that moment I always played at that level.
“I was always going to be small compared to the rest of the players and I used to get knocked about but it didn’t matter to me because I just wanted to play football.
“I started out as a striker but a local priest who actually coached our team decided to put me as a defending player and I did well so I have stayed there ever since.
“Those experiences have made me the player that I am today.
“I have been dragged around a lot on the pitch but for all the times I have been knocked I have come back and to this day I still love getting stuck in and putting in a tackle.”
The tackles will surely come thick and fast over the busy festive schedule for Medo who will mark one year at Wanderers in January.
And he admits life since he joined could not have gone much better, becoming a father for the first time earlier this year.
He said: “I had two-and-a-half fantastic years in Serbia with Partizan.
“They were playing in the Champions League and that will be an experience I will never forget.
“I have played against teams like Arsenal and Inter Milan and it was unbelievable.
“But now I’m really enjoying life in England at Bolton Wanderers.
“This year has been memorable for me in so many ways – as well as joining Bolton, I have become a dad for the first time so it has been incredible.
“It has been an amazing experience playing for the club and hopefully next year will be even better.”
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