Why Max Conway is hungry to make the most of his 'clean slate' at Bolton

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Max Conway is relishing his chance to impress Steven Schumacher in pre-season after a successful loan spell in League Two.

Conway claimed to Player of the Year and Players' Player of the Year prizes at Crewe Alexandra last term after making 50 appearances in all competitions, scoring twice.

The 21-year-old left-back is now hungry to build on his positive performances at the Mornflake Stadium and make the most of any opportunities that come his way at Wanderers.

"I really enjoyed last season, absolutely loved it and now I've come back ready and fit to go again," he told the club.

"It helped me a lot playing week in, week out. It is everything you want to do as a footballer and it really helped me develop.

"I thought I'd had a good season but to pick up the awards was really good. It gave me a lot of confidence coming into this season."

Conway added: "A clean slate can always be positive, it gives you a chance to show what you are about and have people think highly about you.

"The gaffer, Rich [Kyle] and Mark Hughes have been quality. They have told me exactly what they need from me to push into the first team."

Last season was the youngster's first taste of regular EFL football followings stints at Buxton, Rochdale and Fylde in the non-league pyramid.

When asked what he learnt, Conway replied: "Just being more consistent, knowing my jobs and making sure I am at it every single week. It is a big thing and hopefully I can do similar this season.

"It is massive. You are playing for people's livelihoods so at the end of the day, the three points means more than anything, even if it's sacrificing the performance."

The full-back scored a memorable goal against Doncaster - who went on to clinch the title - with a mazy run and clinical finish last October.

He is eager to increase his output in the final third, whether it is scoring himself or assisting his team-mates with crosses.

"It is something I want to go again with this season," Conway explained. "I didn't have quite as many as I would have liked but hopefully I can improve on that again.

"I want to improve massively on my numbers and hopefully, working with the staff, I can do just that."

The 21-year-old is embracing the challenge of the warm-weather training in Spain and hopes he can provide healthy competition in the Bolton squad ahead of the upcoming campaign.

"It has been really tough, today was a very tough session," he admitted. "But all the lads are really fit so hopefully we can just build on that.

"[Competition] is massive. If everyone drives the standards and wants to wear the shirt then everyone is going to improve, so we just need to make sure the standards are kept high."

While he was out on loan, Conway saw some of his team-mates from the B Team squad earn opportunities in the first-team squad at the back end of last season.

"Sam [Inwood], Sonny [Sharples-Ahmed], David [Abimbola], Daeshon [Lawrence], they are all great lads and I consider them mates so I was buzzing to see them get a few minutes," he said.