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Ian Evatt watched his side dismantle Sunderland at the UniBol, then insisted: “We can still do better!”
Wanderers humbled the Black Cats with a stellar display and were well worth their biggest margin of victory since moving from Burnden Park.
Evatt, who has added six new signings to his squad in January and hopes to bring a final midfielder in before today’s deadline to complete the set, maintains that the team can improve even further once it is bedded down.
Asked if the Sunderland win has set a high bar, the manager said: “No, I genuinely think we can be better, I think there’s more to come.
“I think the group is improving all the time. It’s still a new group with lots of new impetus and there’s work to be done.
“We have suffered a lot the last few months but we need to keep our heads down, keep working hard and go again on Tuesday against Cambridge because that now is a very important game.”
Though delighted with the result against Sunderland, Evatt did his level best to play down the significance of the result.
Wanderers have eight games in February – their busiest spell of the whole season – and he was keen to keep focus, rather than hand out soundbites.
“I think we have learned a lesson on being careful about what we say – and that applies to me more than anybody,” he said, “even though I still think I was slightly misquoted, and you know what I am talking about there.
“This is the time for actions. I have talked a lot about the confidence I have in this group. I believe in myself and I believe in the players. But they say actions speak louder than words, and that was action today. We need more of it.”
Evatt felt the secret to Wanderers’ success against Sunderland was mixing up their trademark possession football with something more direct.
While some of Bolton’s build-up had supporters applauding in appreciation, the call went out early on from the dugout for keeper James Trafford to aim more of his kicking straight down the middle of the pitch.
And though Route One is most un-Evatt like, the approach quickly paid dividends with Dion Charles scoring the first of his two goals on the day in a most simplistic fashion.
“We understood that if we are playing two strikers against two central defenders, then you have to make that pay,” Evatt said after the game. “They are both physically strong and quick, Dion and Dapo (Afolayan), and we wanted them running down the sides of their two centre backs. They did that exceptionally well.
“Any team can only function, and is only as good as, their strikers, and today our strikers were outstanding.”
Some of Wanderers’ other goals were much more on-brand for Evatt, and he was delighted to see his team finish off the chances they created.
“That’s something that we speak a lot about and pride ourselves on is our brand and identity and the philosophy and our way and my way and when it comes to fruition like that, you’re really pleased,” he said.
“I hope everyone will look at that today and really enjoy what they’ve seen.”
Wanderers registered a third successive clean sheet for the first time since last March – with James Trafford becoming the first keeper to shut out the first three teams he faced as a Bolton player since Simon Farnworth in 1983.
“They had one opportunity where a bit of a break of the ball and Marlon (Fossey) didn’t quite track his runner, but James credit to him, kept his concentration,” he said. “He is enjoying us playing the way we are and to make that save was brilliant. But I think it was the only opportunity they had in the game, which was pleasing.”
Wanderers face an arduous schedule in February but Evatt believes that by the close of business on Monday in the January window, he will have enough options in his squad to cope.
“It’s a busy month and we have eight games and lots of hard work to go,” he said. “Tuesday is a really important game so we have to regroup and refocus.
“We have a squad capable of changing things around and keeping people fresh and that will be vitally important.
“We have changed the dynamic in the dressing room. The lads are really together, they are a really good group, hungry for success. Long may that continue.”
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