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Dion Charles’ improved fortunes in front of goal have come as no surprise to Wanderers boss Ian Evatt.
Four goals in four games have nudged him into double figures, a milestone he has achieved faster than any Bolton player since Nicolas Anelka 14 years earlier.
Charles has come through difficult and fruitless patches including a run of one goal in 10 games during October and November.
But Evatt had always maintained that a change of luck was on the cards for the Northern Ireland international, and speaking after his goal against Exeter City at the weekend he predicted there would be more to come.
“I am not claiming to be someone who sees into the future at all, but I knew with the number of chances he was getting that sooner or later they would start to go in,” he said.
“It had been a tough spell but you have to keep going. And over this last couple of weeks they have begun to go in for him and he has managed to get into a good vein of form now.
“You can see he is enjoying himself out there. And if we keep creating chances, he will get more goals, it is as simple as that.”
There was a heart-in-mouth moment for the Wanderers boss in the second half on Saturday after Charles went down with an injury 13 minutes before the end of the game, forcing him into a substitution.
“I was just happy to see when he came off that it was just cramp,” Evatt said. “There was a lot of fatigue out there after Tuesday night against United and what it had taken out of us, then the fact we didn’t get much time training on the grass because of the weather conditions. It always meant there could be some issues with players tiring.
“I’m glad we got through it and now there is a chance for Dion and the whole squad to reset now and go into the Christmas period.”
Evatt is also pleased to see progression in Charles’s partnership with Dapo Afolayan up front.
“I thought first half they were incredibly difficult to play against,” he added.
“They ran in behind, they were intelligent with when they chose to get the ball to feet and when they ran in and used the space in behind the defenders. They were really reliable when the ball went into feet and they looked a real threat in and out of possession.
“Our press and the intensity of our press was superb. They really struggled to link any passes.
“And in the first half it was wave after wave of chances. We took two but probably could have had four or five – that’s the type of team we are, when we are in form and feeling it we can create chances and create them quickly.
“It was pleasing to see two of those chances go in and while we should probably have been out of sight we can’t complain too much because we have been asking for first-half performances like that, and we got one.”
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