Jack Iredale has opened up on his return to Cambridge United this weekend with Bolton Wanderers and has expressed his gratitude to the U's for getting him back into English football after the uncertainty the Covid-19 pandemic brought.
Iredale played for Cambridge for two years between 2020 and 2022, before joining Wanderers this summer on a free transfer and penned a three-year deal. The 26-year-old ended up playing 89 times and scoring five goals in his time at the Abbey Stadium.
The defender joined the U's in the summer of 2020 in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. He had previously left old club Carlisle United as football faced an uncertain future.
READ MORE: Mark Bonner makes Bolton League One claim and gives verdict on Jack Iredale's Cambridge return
Iredale himself was back in Perth in Australia that summer and seeking a route back into the game in the UK. He was talking to clubs in Asia and Australia in a bid to find another team.
Admitting he was in a no man's land after Covid and he is grateful for the opportunity the Abbey Stadium club gave him. The Wanderers summer signing has nothing but good things to say about his old boss Mark Bonner following his time in Cambridgeshire.
He said: “I hope that there was no hard feelings. I had a really good two years there, I was in no man’s land after Covid. I was back home in Australia, didn’t have a contract, I’d left Carlisle, and then Cambirdge came out of the blue and gave me that opportunity to get back to UK football.
“I’m looking forward to going down and seeing a lot of old friends and I’m looking forward to the game as well.
“I was talking to clubs in Asia and Australia as well. I thought I was probably going to have to stay a bit closer to home, especially with what was going on.
"No-one knew what it was going to be like for football, but when the opportunity came up, my girlfriend is still over here as well and it was even more of a reason to get myself back over here and playing football. Now here I am (at Bolton) and I’m thankful that I did.
“I think I had a really good opportunity to play a lot of games and in that Covid season when Bolton got promoted, Cambridge got promoted as well so the club was propelled in general and I was fortunate enough to be involved in it.
“To have a positive first season in League One was really positive for me. I really enjoyed by time there.
“I have nothing bad to say about him. He put a lot of trust in me and helped me develop, along with the coaching staff as well. They work a lot on the personal development of players as well.
“He is obviously a young manager who has done very well at the start of his career and I think there is a lot more that he can go on and do."
Moving to Bolton from Cambridge has been a big change, especially with the expectation levels. The U's were promoted to League One along with Bolton in 2021, but were in the National League as recently as 2014.
Wanderers meanwhile have a history of being in the Premier League and the Championship more often than not. Iredale was under no illusions of the scrutiny that comes from moving to a club like Wanderers and the expectation levels behind it.
Social media in the modern game gives players a chance to see the mood surrounding their performances on the pitch from the supporters. However, it is something Iredale tries to stay away from and focuses on the views of the Wanderers coaching staff in a bid to improve.
He said: “It has been very different but then Bolton is a massive club and the fans expect success. When there is not that level of consistency, you are demanding that the team brings it.
“I knew coming in that it is a big club and that it was one that wants to get back to the top level, albeit in the right way with what is going on behind the scenes as well.
“I didn’t expect anything less from Bolton’s supporters. As a team we want to be winning games consistently but I think over time we have kept in touch with the boys at the top.
“You get told about it all the time in football – don’t get too high with the highs and low with the lows. You just have to reset, forget about the previous game, then hit the best level possible.
“When it is going bad you just have to trust yourself you can put it right.
“If you want to ignore it, you can. I personally don’t go on social media to find out if I have had a good or a bad game, I can probably tell what is being said without looking. I think it is important what we are getting told by the coaching staff is what we have to do on the pitch, that is the best way to go about it."
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