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Ahead of this afternoon’s trip to Gillingham, here are the best bits from Ian Evatt’s press conference.
How is Gethin Jones following the death of his mother?
“When one of us is hurting we’re all hurting. It’s an absolute tragedy for Gethin and his family, Karen was a wonderful woman.
“The whole Bolton Wanderers family are very sad and obviously our condolences go to him, his dad Gareth and the rest of the family.
“It’s hugely difficult. It gives you a sense of perspective with everything that’s gone on in the world really this past week.
“We’re all very, very sad and Gethin will obviously be missing on Saturday. We’re going to give him as much time as he needs. Some things are bigger than football and we’re all here to support him.”
How is the rest of the squad shaping up ahead of Saturday’s game?
“We will recall Adam Senior for some more defensive cover on the basis that we’re not going to put Gethin under any type of pressure to come back to work.
“Adam will stay with us for the rest of the season. We’ve made the decision that he’ll come back and the benefit is he’ll be back with us training day-to-day.
“Kacha (Elias Kachunga) has trained fully for the first time today, so he’s back now. Saturday is probably going to be too soon for him but it’s another body and another option.
“He trained really well this morning. Everyone else is okay and ready to go.”
Wanderers have found these sorts of fixtures tricky at times this season. How are you feeling about this one?
“I can’t disagree with you. It seems to be our Kryptonite, there is no two ways about it. But only we can change that.
“We have tried different things, set-ups, personnel, but we just need to be us and good at what we do. No disrespect to Gillingham at all but we have to back ourselves to be a better team than they are, simple as that.
“I need my players to go out and believe in themselves, trust each other, and play the way we coach them to play.
“If that isn’t good enough, then fine, lose on our terms. But don’t have any regrets. I felt for the first time in a long time on Saturday that we lost with regrets.
“I don’t think we did ourselves justice, I think we are better than that, and we have to show it against Gillingham.”
Does Kyle Dempsey have a point to prove when he returns to the Priestfield Stadium?
“He's excited, he’s looking forward to it. He wants to go there and show everybody how good he is.
“I think he was their best player and captain of the team so I don’t think he has anything to prove to anybody.
“He’s now our player and all he has to do is go out there and play well for us. It’s as simple as that.”
What are you expecting from Neil Harris’ men?
“Neil is young but experienced. He had Championship experience with Millwall and Cardiff and has now gone there and all of a sudden started to get results.
“The team are set up well, they have become difficult to beat. They are a threat from set-plays, they’ve got some speed. (Vadaine) Oliver is a huge, huge threat aerially and we have to cope with that.
“But for me it’s not really about them, it’s more about what we do and we have to be the best version of us. If we do that, we have a chance of winning the game.”
How much of an impact will Kachunga’s return have on the squad?
“He’s such a good character - a bubbly, lively character. He’s a very good player and a very good person so it’s great to have him back. He knows the game, is experienced and will help the others.
“It’s a great other option to have. He’s obviously a forward player – he can play as the 10, he can play as the nine. That’s where we see him fitting in.
“I think what we’ve come to learn is if we’re going to play a midfield player (in the number 10 role), the best player in that role is Kieran Lee and he is missing.
“I think Kyle (Dempsey), Aaron (Morley) and MJ (Williams) are all pivots, number sixes. But they are all different in that aspect – MJ is more physical but still technical, Kyle is more dynamic and dribbles better, Aaron just has an unbelievable range of passing.
“But the way we’re playing at the moment – Dapo (Afolayan), Kieran Sadlier – they are more attacking options but the team seems to function better when they’re in it in terms of possession. That’s what we’re looking at and Kacha adds to that role really.”
And finally, what do you think needs to change to make life easier for referees in the Football League?
“There has to be some consistency. I think in some games you see fourth officials wanting to help referees with decisions and then in others they don’t want to get involved.
“It is a difficult job, we know that. People have personal lives and refs have jobs aside from refereeing as well.
“I’d want to see them made professional to give them the best help possible and I’d also want to know whether fourth officials can help them, or not.
“If they are, great, if they are not, great, but let that be 100 per cent of the time. It cannot be one week they are able to help, the next they are not, depending on what the referee wants. There has to be some sort of ruling.
“This is a team sport. I have my backroom team as a manager, the players are a team – they are not individuals. And I think there should be a refereeing team.
“It can’t be one person makes the decisions and that’s that. They should come together to make the best decisions possible, and that is all I ask.”
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