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Ian Evatt has warned his Wanderers not to take anything for granted as they aim for a promotion push in League One this season.
As one of the form teams in the division from mid-January onwards last season, Bolton have already been tipped to maintain their momentum and challenge for a top six spot.
Evatt knows there will be more pressure on his team to perform after a solid ninth-place finish and comparatively heavy investment in players in January.
Asked if there was more onus on his side to hit the ground running, and be among the challenging clubs from the beginning of the new season, the Bolton boss said much would depend on the attitude of the players as they went into the new campaign.
“I’d argue that we had a really good start to last season,” he said. “It wasn’t the initial start, it was the October to January period and this is the first time that we’ve had a settled squad in that time.
“The players understand the level of expectancy, they know we’re carrying momentum through from last season, but as I said to you in Portugal at the end of every football season, your credit is completely wiped out and you’re starting again from scratch.
“We have to again prove that we’re worthy of the fans following and to build credit up and to go and achieve something special.
“We all want to do well and we all want us to be fighting at the top end of this division, but nobody should expect it because there’s lots of hard work and challenges that go into winning football matches and having a winning football season.”
With season ticket sales above 13,000 for the first time since the club dropped out of the Premier League a decade ago, Evatt is aware that the ‘feelgood factor’ could be hugely beneficial for his side this year.
“We’re doing the best we can, but we shouldn’t take it for granted,” he said. “We have to make sure that we’re all willing to go that extra mile together, the whole football club, and we are going to have ups and downs during a football season and it’s in the bad times that I think and feel where we’ll be defined this season.
“In those times it’s important that we all stick together and we don’t panic and we keep the belief. We’re all feeling really positive and we’re laying down the foundations for a good season right now with how hard we’re working.”
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