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Billy Crellin will be back between the sticks for Wanderers tonight as Ian Evatt offers up a chance for redemption in the Papa John’s Trophy.
The on-loan Fleetwood keeper, dropped for the last league game against Salford City, will be one of several changes to tonight’s side as the Whites boss looks for a reaction from his fringe players against Newcastle United’s Under-21s.
Matt Gilks will continue as number one at Stevenage on Saturday but Evatt insists Crellin can work his way back into his first team plans.
“Right now Billy is having a bad spell,” he said. “But in no, way, shape or form do I think that Billy hasn’t got a future here, or a future career – he’s a fantastic young keeper and he’s going through a bad run of form, which happens.
“Matt (Gilks) did exactly what I thought he’d do on Friday. He came in, he organised, didn’t have a great deal to do but as I said before, we don’t concede a lot of chances.
“The save he did make in the first half, I thought that was for the cameras, and the one second half was a good save with his legs.
“That’s what goalkeepers are there for, it’s about concentration when you’re not needed throughout the 90 minutes and when you are called upon, you have to produce and he produced.
"He organised and it was great to see, so for now, that will be same. Billy will play tomorrow night in the cup and Matt will be saved for the league on Saturday.”
Several players who did not feature against Salford will come into the reckoning tonight and state a case for another shot at Stevenage.
“It’s an audition,” Evatt said. “Every time you step on the grass it’s an audition and you’re performing for yourselves, for the club, for the fans, for me, for your families and you have to have that mentality and mindset.
“Now obviously they’re out of the team most of them at the moment so you have to make sure that you’re go and show the manager what you’re about and what you’re capable of and then put yourself in his thoughts.
“The most important people at any football club aren’t the starting XI, they’re easy to keep happy. It’s the ones outside of that and they have to understand that the whole club can only perform if they’re performing. What I mean by that is if they’re not at it, then the starting XI are comfortable and they know that they’re not going to be changed.
“But if day in, day out, they see the other lads at it, training well, training properly, when they get a chance in games and playing well, playing properly, playing with the right intensity, they know they’re under pressure and in turn, that means they have to perform well and if they don’t, they know they're going to be changed and they’ll get an opportunity to stay in the team.
“That’s football. The best clubs are the ones where the group outside the 11 are really pushing the starting XI to perform because of their own performances, day in, day out.” Evatt has hinted he could make changes in January if some players do not play themselves into form – and with Wanderers already out of the FA Cup, tonight’s game could be the last opportunity to do so, out of the regular league schedule.
“I don’t expect one player who is not in the starting 11 to be happy. You shouldn’t be when you are not playing,” he said.
“But the response should always be ‘how can I get into that 11’ and ‘what do I need to do better?’ Then you go away and work at it.
“It’s important everyone realises whether you are in the team or out of it, want to be here or you don’t, you are only going to do yourselves harm by not performing and playing well.
“You have to perform whether you are playing to stay – and I expect they all should be because this is a fantastic club – or you play well to get away because nobody will take you if you are not performing. There’s going to be no clubs out there who want to take you if you haven’t been playing well, it’s as simple as that.
“Day in day out, every training session is important, every time you get an opportunity on the grass on a matchday. You have to perform.”
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The on-loan Fleetwood keeper, dropped for the last league game against Salford City, will be one of several changes to tonight’s side as the Whites boss looks for a reaction from his fringe players against Newcastle United’s Under-21s.
Matt Gilks will continue as number one at Stevenage on Saturday but Evatt insists Crellin can work his way back into his first team plans.
“Right now Billy is having a bad spell,” he said. “But in no, way, shape or form do I think that Billy hasn’t got a future here, or a future career – he’s a fantastic young keeper and he’s going through a bad run of form, which happens.
“Matt (Gilks) did exactly what I thought he’d do on Friday. He came in, he organised, didn’t have a great deal to do but as I said before, we don’t concede a lot of chances.
“The save he did make in the first half, I thought that was for the cameras, and the one second half was a good save with his legs.
“That’s what goalkeepers are there for, it’s about concentration when you’re not needed throughout the 90 minutes and when you are called upon, you have to produce and he produced.
"He organised and it was great to see, so for now, that will be same. Billy will play tomorrow night in the cup and Matt will be saved for the league on Saturday.”
Several players who did not feature against Salford will come into the reckoning tonight and state a case for another shot at Stevenage.
“It’s an audition,” Evatt said. “Every time you step on the grass it’s an audition and you’re performing for yourselves, for the club, for the fans, for me, for your families and you have to have that mentality and mindset.
“Now obviously they’re out of the team most of them at the moment so you have to make sure that you’re go and show the manager what you’re about and what you’re capable of and then put yourself in his thoughts.
“The most important people at any football club aren’t the starting XI, they’re easy to keep happy. It’s the ones outside of that and they have to understand that the whole club can only perform if they’re performing. What I mean by that is if they’re not at it, then the starting XI are comfortable and they know that they’re not going to be changed.
“But if day in, day out, they see the other lads at it, training well, training properly, when they get a chance in games and playing well, playing properly, playing with the right intensity, they know they’re under pressure and in turn, that means they have to perform well and if they don’t, they know they're going to be changed and they’ll get an opportunity to stay in the team.
“That’s football. The best clubs are the ones where the group outside the 11 are really pushing the starting XI to perform because of their own performances, day in, day out.” Evatt has hinted he could make changes in January if some players do not play themselves into form – and with Wanderers already out of the FA Cup, tonight’s game could be the last opportunity to do so, out of the regular league schedule.
“I don’t expect one player who is not in the starting 11 to be happy. You shouldn’t be when you are not playing,” he said.
“But the response should always be ‘how can I get into that 11’ and ‘what do I need to do better?’ Then you go away and work at it.
“It’s important everyone realises whether you are in the team or out of it, want to be here or you don’t, you are only going to do yourselves harm by not performing and playing well.
“You have to perform whether you are playing to stay – and I expect they all should be because this is a fantastic club – or you play well to get away because nobody will take you if you are not performing. There’s going to be no clubs out there who want to take you if you haven’t been playing well, it’s as simple as that.
“Day in day out, every training session is important, every time you get an opportunity on the grass on a matchday. You have to perform.”
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