The Bolton Wanderers star comments on the captaincy change

Ian Evatt named the midfielder as his new captain last weekend to ease the burden on key defender Ricardo Santos.

Charles, who scored a hat-trick in the 5-2 win over Reading, is confident his team-mate will shine in the role.

“We see every day what Tommo is capable of,” he said. “He is a leader, a big voice in the locker room. I’m happy for him.”

“He embodies what it means to be a player for Bolton Wanderers with the effort he puts in day in and day out. He’s the first to arrive and the last to leave. That’s great for him.”

After three consecutive home games, the Whites have now completed an away hat-trick, starting with an away game at Arsenal in the Carabao Cup and continuing at Crawley and Northampton.

More than 4,000 fans will travel to the Emirates, somewhat pleased with the improved performance, but Charles admits the criticism the players and coach have faced in the first few weeks has taken its toll.

“We are all in this together,” he said. “Nobody wants to make mistakes or play badly. We need everyone together in this football club and when that is the case, we will move in the right direction.”

“The fans were great (against Reading). That’s what we need from them.”

“We are not kidding ourselves. We know we did not have the best start and in the end it was a good feeling that all the fans were behind us. The chants in the last game in the stadium did not go unnoticed and showed how quickly things can change in football. They all chanted the coach’s name and the result was for the coach.”

Charles will be hoping to play a role at Arsenal after scoring at Shrewsbury in the previous round and is under no illusions that a result against last season’s Premier League runners-up is highly unlikely.

“I think this draw is a reward for the hard work we have done in the previous rounds,” he said. “We are under no illusions. We know they are world class players, but I still think it can be fun.”

“It’s a beautiful day for us players, the staff, our families and our fans.

“It will be a good test for us, we can see how far we are from them.”

Saturday afternoon’s game at Crawley is arguably more important for Bolton’s cause and Charles is keen not to let Reading’s victory go to waste.

“This is not a sprint, it’s a marathon,” he said. “You don’t win the league in September or October, it’s about where you are in May. Hopefully that will get our season going.”

“We know that if we work that hard and create that many chances, we will win games and it will be more fun to play in them.”

“It’s fun for the fans to watch too, so we hope we can keep it up.”