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Wanderers could be without Amadou Bakayoko for a fortnight after he limped out of last night’s 1-0 win at Lincoln City.
The striker pulled a calf muscle in the first half at the LNER Stadium before being replaced by Lloyd Isgrove.
Bolton went on to win the game with Antoni Sarcevic’s 77th minute strike, securing their first league victory at Lincoln City in since 1910.
On Bakayoko’s injury, Ian Evatt said after the final whistle: “He just got a bit of a calf strain, I think. Nothing too serious but obviously it’s not ideal and it might keep him out for a couple of weeks.”
Wanderers sent more than 800 travelling fans home happy after a hugely encouraging performance, which prolongs an unbeaten streak in Tuesday night outings to 15 consecutive games and seven straight victories.
It also gained a measure of revenge for the club’s previous visit to the LNER Stadium under Keith Hill in January 2020, where any lingering hopes of avoiding relegation in the New Year were effectively snuffed out.
“Everybody keeps telling me two years ago Bolton Wanderers got beat 5-1 and it was a really dark day,” Evatt said after the game. “Sharon, that hurt her that night, and I promised her that wouldn’t happen again. The boys have done us all proud.”
The backing of the Wanderers fans was also a talking point after the game with several players taking to social media to praise the noise and volume created in the Stacey West Stand.
“It was brilliant,” Evatt said. “Those fans have seen some pretty dark days in recent times so we have to enjoy these nights. An amazing away support for a Tuesday night so far away and I hope they’ve got home very happy because I certainly am.”
Wanderers return to the UniBol this weekend to face Oxford United – another of the division’s fancied sides. Evatt reckons the same vociferous backing at home can give the Whites a big advantage.
“It can only help us,” he said. “We never had them last season and at times that was a hindrance, at times that was a benefit as I’ve said before. The way they’ve supported the team tonight is great but it’s a two-way thing.
“The support need the players to give them inspiration and vice versa and I think both of them have done their jobs tonight.”
Michael Appleton’s Lincoln were beaten in the play-off final back in May by Blackpool and have been tipped by many to go one better this season.
Such was Bolton’s eye-catching result, the club’s #bwfc hashtag trended on UK Twitter for more than an hour after the final whistle.
“I said to the players before the game it’s very early on in the season, but nights like this against teams like this who we think will be up there with us, they’re season-defining victories,” Evatt said. “Whenever people away from Bolton, other teams in the division and other supporters in the division look at our result tonight, they’ll think ‘wow, Bolton are going well’.
“That’s what we wanted to do, we wanted to make a statement.”
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