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Ian Evatt is backing Billy Crellin’s pedigree to come shining through at Wanderers this season.
The England Under-20 international looks set to start as Bolton’s number one following his loan move from Fleetwood and has already made a number of eye-catching saves.
Evatt sees the youngster as an important cog in a back line which will be tasked with controlling possession, meaning there is an extra onus on them making good choices on the ball.
Wanderers have steadily improved in that respect throughout the summer and the head coach believes Crellin’s performance against Accrington at the weekend illustrates how valuable he could be in the months to come.
“Billy’s job is to keep the ball out of the net and he’s done it,” he told The Bolton News.
“He has got so much ability, so much talent. He can kick off both feet, long or short, and he’s a very good goalkeeper primarily who is capable of making some great saves.
“He hadn’t had a lot to do in pre-season but then in the last 20 minutes of that game he’s had more to do because of our tiredness and the fact we were over-playing at times.
“It was good to see him makes some saves, though, and it will do his confidence some good.”
Settling in a system which will see Wanderers move the ball from the back, looking to create space for their attacking players to exploit, has been the number one aim of pre-season.
There has been a period of adjustment for the players – including a few nervous moments for Crellin and Co at Bamber Bridge, but the Whites boss is confident the kinks can be ironed out quickly.
“It’s just recognising where the space is and what the opposition are doing, making better and more intelligent decisions on the pitch,” he said. “That’s where we need to work.
“I’m very happy with where we are at this stage but we are not the finished article, the players understand that there is still work to be done.”
Another area which throws up an intriguing selection problem is the middle of midfield, where three players brought in specifically to play in this system – Brandon Comley, Antoni Sarcevic and Tom White – will be battling against the likes of Ali Crawford, Ronan Darcy and Co for three midfield spots.
Sarcevic looks a likely starter considering he has worn the captain’s armband since arriving at the club and Evatt is upbeat about his options.
“Our midfield is probably the strongest part of our team,” he said.
“Brandon has been excellent. But you have Ali Crawford, Tom White, Sarce (Antoni Sarcevic) – some fantastic footballers.
“It is going to be tough because there are four players I have named there, and more, fighting for three spots in the middle of the park and it might be a case of horses for courses, basing the selection on who we are playing that day.”
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The England Under-20 international looks set to start as Bolton’s number one following his loan move from Fleetwood and has already made a number of eye-catching saves.
Evatt sees the youngster as an important cog in a back line which will be tasked with controlling possession, meaning there is an extra onus on them making good choices on the ball.
Wanderers have steadily improved in that respect throughout the summer and the head coach believes Crellin’s performance against Accrington at the weekend illustrates how valuable he could be in the months to come.
“Billy’s job is to keep the ball out of the net and he’s done it,” he told The Bolton News.
“He has got so much ability, so much talent. He can kick off both feet, long or short, and he’s a very good goalkeeper primarily who is capable of making some great saves.
“He hadn’t had a lot to do in pre-season but then in the last 20 minutes of that game he’s had more to do because of our tiredness and the fact we were over-playing at times.
“It was good to see him makes some saves, though, and it will do his confidence some good.”
Settling in a system which will see Wanderers move the ball from the back, looking to create space for their attacking players to exploit, has been the number one aim of pre-season.
There has been a period of adjustment for the players – including a few nervous moments for Crellin and Co at Bamber Bridge, but the Whites boss is confident the kinks can be ironed out quickly.
“It’s just recognising where the space is and what the opposition are doing, making better and more intelligent decisions on the pitch,” he said. “That’s where we need to work.
“I’m very happy with where we are at this stage but we are not the finished article, the players understand that there is still work to be done.”
Another area which throws up an intriguing selection problem is the middle of midfield, where three players brought in specifically to play in this system – Brandon Comley, Antoni Sarcevic and Tom White – will be battling against the likes of Ali Crawford, Ronan Darcy and Co for three midfield spots.
Sarcevic looks a likely starter considering he has worn the captain’s armband since arriving at the club and Evatt is upbeat about his options.
“Our midfield is probably the strongest part of our team,” he said.
“Brandon has been excellent. But you have Ali Crawford, Tom White, Sarce (Antoni Sarcevic) – some fantastic footballers.
“It is going to be tough because there are four players I have named there, and more, fighting for three spots in the middle of the park and it might be a case of horses for courses, basing the selection on who we are playing that day.”
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