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Ian Evatt has backed Wanderers to respond and rediscover a winning habit.
The Whites rounded off pre-season with a home defeat to Crewe Alexandra on Friday night coming on the back of a midweek loss to Wigan Athletic.
But having won four friendlies on the spin in the run-up to those games against League One opposition, Evatt is confident that momentum can be restored once the competitive action starts this weekend.
Bolton open up the new 2020/21 campaign at home to Bradford City in the Carabao Cup on Saturday, followed by a rematch with Crewe in the EFL Trophy on September 8, then the League Two opener with Forest Green Rovers on September 12 to complete a hat-trick of games at the University of Bolton Stadium.
And Evatt intends to work hard on the training ground to get back on track on the pitch.
“Winning becomes a habit and we’ve lost the last two but it’s how we respond now,” he said.
“I know the lads will be there on Monday morning ready to crack on again and give me everything.
“We’ll work extremely hard and we will get it right. We’ve got to be calm. We don’t become a bad team overnight, we don’t become a good team overnight.
“We’re going to lose games, it’s the manner of the defeat that bothers me.
“It bothered me on Tuesday (against Wigan) but it (Friday) doesn’t bother me so much because I saw the effort was there.
“The effort, the commitment, the desire was there, it was just our decision making at times and the finer details, we didn’t quite get them right on the day.”
After a promising, goalless first half against Crewe, Wanderers came unstuck in the second half as they conceded from a long goal kick, a corner, and then the Railwaymen added a third late on when Bolton were pushing for a goal themselves.
“The third has come after we’re pressing forwards and both teams have made changes so it (the scoreline) almost becomes a little bit false,” said Evatt.
“I’m more bothered about the manner of the first two goals in terms of a goal kick and a set play.
“We pressed really well. I thought first half especially we nicked the ball high up the pitch and we should have made more of our situations. We didn’t, and when you don’t get that goal you sometimes become a bit nervy.
“We were on top in the second half before the goal from the goal kick and then the second one being a corner is a really poor goal to concede.
“There’s lots of hard work to be done on the training pitch, there’s just no doubt about that. Loads of hard work.
“That’s the biggest thing that I’m focusing on right now.”
And Evatt is hoping to utilise the cup competitions to be even better prepared for the start of the league programme a week later.
“Obviously the cup game before the league game gives us an extra couple of weeks,” he said.
“However we want to win every game we’re playing in and this is why I was disappointed (on Friday) because friendly or no friendly you still want to win.”
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The Whites rounded off pre-season with a home defeat to Crewe Alexandra on Friday night coming on the back of a midweek loss to Wigan Athletic.
But having won four friendlies on the spin in the run-up to those games against League One opposition, Evatt is confident that momentum can be restored once the competitive action starts this weekend.
Bolton open up the new 2020/21 campaign at home to Bradford City in the Carabao Cup on Saturday, followed by a rematch with Crewe in the EFL Trophy on September 8, then the League Two opener with Forest Green Rovers on September 12 to complete a hat-trick of games at the University of Bolton Stadium.
And Evatt intends to work hard on the training ground to get back on track on the pitch.
“Winning becomes a habit and we’ve lost the last two but it’s how we respond now,” he said.
“I know the lads will be there on Monday morning ready to crack on again and give me everything.
“We’ll work extremely hard and we will get it right. We’ve got to be calm. We don’t become a bad team overnight, we don’t become a good team overnight.
“We’re going to lose games, it’s the manner of the defeat that bothers me.
“It bothered me on Tuesday (against Wigan) but it (Friday) doesn’t bother me so much because I saw the effort was there.
“The effort, the commitment, the desire was there, it was just our decision making at times and the finer details, we didn’t quite get them right on the day.”
After a promising, goalless first half against Crewe, Wanderers came unstuck in the second half as they conceded from a long goal kick, a corner, and then the Railwaymen added a third late on when Bolton were pushing for a goal themselves.
“The third has come after we’re pressing forwards and both teams have made changes so it (the scoreline) almost becomes a little bit false,” said Evatt.
“I’m more bothered about the manner of the first two goals in terms of a goal kick and a set play.
“We pressed really well. I thought first half especially we nicked the ball high up the pitch and we should have made more of our situations. We didn’t, and when you don’t get that goal you sometimes become a bit nervy.
“We were on top in the second half before the goal from the goal kick and then the second one being a corner is a really poor goal to concede.
“There’s lots of hard work to be done on the training pitch, there’s just no doubt about that. Loads of hard work.
“That’s the biggest thing that I’m focusing on right now.”
And Evatt is hoping to utilise the cup competitions to be even better prepared for the start of the league programme a week later.
“Obviously the cup game before the league game gives us an extra couple of weeks,” he said.
“However we want to win every game we’re playing in and this is why I was disappointed (on Friday) because friendly or no friendly you still want to win.”
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