FORMER Blackburn favourite Matt Jansen is relishing the chance to resurrect his career with Bolton Wanderers after being handed a lifeline by Sam Allardyce.

The 28-year-old striker made a quick return to Ewood with Bolton on Saturday, coming on for his Wanderers debut as a second half substitute just days after he had ended his seven-year association with Rovers.

It was an emotional occasion for Jansen, who admitted he was a nervous wreck before the game, but he managed to come through it unscathed and he's now looking forward to making an impact at his new club.

"It was emotional," said Jansen, who joined Wanderers on a free on Friday following his release from Rovers.

"I had seven very happy years at Blackburn. Obviously, I didn't want to go but circumstances meant that I had to.

"It was a bit hard and I was worried (before the game).

"I know the fans have been fantastic with me but then to move to Bolton and find myself playing against my old team the very next day was a bit weird.

"I didn't mean it to work out that way, but it was just circumstances.

"The fans were brilliant, though, again and I loved playing for them."

Jansen asked to be released from his contract at Blackburn after he became frustrated by his lack of first team opportunities under Mark Hughes.

The former England Under 21 international had only started one game for Blackburn all season, ironically in the goalless draw with Bolton at The Reebok in September.

And, since he was on a pay-as-you-play deal, it was no longer economically feasible for him to stay at Ewood if he wasn't going to feature regularly under Hughes.

Nevertheless, he still left Rovers with a heavy heart and he will never forget the magnificent support the fans gave him, particularly after he suffered serious head injuries as a result of a motorbike accident in the summer of 2002.

"The fans were brilliant," said Jansen. "All along, they've supported me and they've been fantastic with me, and I can't speak highly enough of them.

"(The last few days have) been a mad rush and talk about nerves before the game.

"I'd only trained for one day so I didn't know any set-pieces, I didn't know any systems or anything. But, thankfully, I got through it okay."

With his potentially difficult debut now out of the way, Jansen can't wait to get his career up and running again at Bolton.

The former Crystal Palace star insists he's fully recovered, mentally and physically, from the brain haemorrhage that almost forced him to quit the game for good.

And he believes he's now in a position to flourish under his new boss.

"I'm fully fit. That's not a problem," said Jansen. "I've got the all-clear for everything so it's just a case of playing.

"Players find themselves out of the team for one reason or another and I found that at Blackburn so I needed to move on to re-establish my form."

In terms of his reasons for joining Wanderers, he added: "The set-up's great and it's handy, so I don't have to move.

"Sam also impressed me a great deal and I knew a few of the lads at Bolton already."

As for Saturday's 0-0 draw, Jansen said Bolton were delighted to come away with a point, particularly as they had to play for the best part of an hour with 10-men following Hidetoshi Nakata's sending off.

"It was very difficult for us," he said.

"It was backs against the wall once we had the man sent off, but I thought we did exceptionally well to hold out so, for us, it was a good result in the end, given the circumstances."