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Wanderers boss Ian Evatt insists tonight’s clash with Portsmouth will be “a completely different game” from his side’s 1-0 defeat at Fratton Park earlier this season.
The Whites were impacted by injuries that day, but there were still plenty of positives from their performances despite the result.
“It’s hard to really go off the meeting earlier this season because I think we were a patched-up team out of form, and we still lost the game on an odd goal and a mistake I believe,” he told The Bolton News.
“I think this is a completely different game. Both teams have been in good form and both have picked up since the turn of the year.
“Portsmouth have some very good players, some very good attackers. They will ask us questions, but I must reemphasise that it’s not really about them.
“We give them respect of course, but it is about what we do. If we get to the levels that I know we can get to, like the second half on Saturday, then we’ll be more than a match for every team in this league.
“But it is more about our own focus and being the best version of ourselves and if we can be that, then I believe we can beat anybody.”
Wanderers had a two-week break prior to Saturday’s game but the fixtures now come thick and fast heading into the final stages of the season.
Evatt reckons their busy schedule is an opportunity to build momentum and hopes it can be the catalyst for a good run.
He added: “If you are in good form, it is good to play consistent games back-to-back. We feel like our form can still be better. I still think there is more to come from the players.
“I thought our performances against Morecambe and Plymouth were pretty good, the Crewe game was challenging because of the conditions but we still managed to win.
“And then on Saturday, for half an hour we were awful and the rest we were okay. But I still think there are lots of things to improve on and hopefully we can do that with two big home games now.”
The Bolton chief set his side a point target for the end of the campaign and insists it is still in reach with six games to go.
But Evatt admits it might not be enough for a place in the top six in a “freakish” season in the third tier.
“We want to finish as high as we can,” he said. “We set the players a target at the end of January to how many points we can get to and that is still achievable now.
“It does not look like that will be enough to get in the play-offs and this is kind of a freakish year for that.
“But all we can do is try to win every game we play. We are not out here to celebrate draws, we were satisfied on Saturday but that is about as far as it goes.”
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