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Wanderers have left themselves little margin for error in their place for a play-off spot but Ian Evatt is still feeling upbeat as his side head into a home double header with Wimbledon and Lincoln.
An ugly defeat at Burton Albion on Tuesday night was somewhat unexpected, given the team had been enjoying a fine run of form through February.
Evatt was happy to wave goodbye to the pockmarked pitch at the Pirelli Stadium and hopes a return to the UniBol this weekend will bring better fortunes and a more familiar tactical approach.
“We have spoken to the players and set ourselves a target for the end of the season, where we want to be,” said the Bolton boss. “The target hasn’t changed after Tuesday, it has obviously been made more difficult, though.
“The margin for error is smaller now so we have to make sure we win the next two home games and then take it from there.
“I’d still say things are going more than reasonably well. We just have to park Tuesday.
“Everything that could go wrong that day did go wrong. Six minutes of set pieces madness cost us the game. Awful conditions, an awful pitch, just things didn’t go well for us and I don’t think it’s a reflection on where we’re at as a team.
“I think that is something that’s happened in isolation, so we’ll move on from it really quickly.”
Wanderers are 10 points off the top six with 42 points to play for until the end of the season, and though expectation levels were raised after some canny business in the January window, Evatt hopes supporters can see that progress is being made, promotion or not this term.
“A month ago it didn’t seem at all possible, so I’m happy that we’re being spoken about that we could potentially get in there but we’re a long, long way off,” he said. “There are some good teams ahead of us and we’ve got lots of work to do.
“The most important thing for me is that we are building platforms and foundations for future. If that is this year or next year, it is important we get this club back to the Championship.”
Evatt admits he does have some remedial work to do in his squad to cope with some of the more physical sides in the division but looked ahead to the next three games as ones which should suit the way his team play.
“Tuesday is a stark reminder of how difficult this league can be,” he said. “You face different tasks and challenges and Tuesday was one that we’re certainly not suited to, but something we need to look at because it seems to be our kryptonite at the moment.
“I think these (upcoming) games, especially the home games, which are more suited to us and the way we want to play.
“We have specific teams in mind and then obviously MK Dons falls into that bracket as well. I don’t have any worries about us going to MK. My worries are when we go to Doncaster, Gillingham, Crewe, those are the games where we’re going to have to look at things more cautiously, but for now I think these games take care of themselves and I think on a big open lovely pitch in a big stadium which MK will also provide for us, I think it plays to our strengths.”
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