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Wanderers will bring Josh Sheehan and Lloyd Isgrove in for their first home starts of the season in Tuesday night’s Papa Johns Trophy clash with Leeds United Under-21s.
Ian Evatt has confirmed the two midfielders, both of whom have recovered from long-term injuries, are due to start the final group game.
For Sheehan it will be the first time he has started at the University of Bolton Stadium since he scored in a 2-0 win against Crewe last November. For Isgrove it will be a first home appearance since the 3-0 win against Doncaster later the same month, during which he tore a hamstring.
Both played in the previous group game at Tranmere Rovers and while Sheehan has been an unused substitute in the last few league games, Evatt is looking forward to seeing them back on the pitch.
“There have been times I have looked at the bench and wished I had two more subs because I’d like to have made all seven,” he said.
“Josh and Izzy will definitely be ready to play on Tuesday and hopefully we can see a step forward for both of them.”
Eoin Toal will not be part of the squad, however, having missed a few training sessions with a thigh strain.
The big defender made his Bolton debut against Crewe in the Papa Johns Trophy following a January move from Derry City.
Evatt says he has made progress with the injury and has also shown rapid signs of improvement on the training ground which put him much closer to featuring for the first time in League One.
“He is really close to making the squad,” the manager said. “Physically he has developed superbly well, his attitude has been first class.
“He has picked up what I need from him tactically really well and the positions he was taking up at the B team game the other day as the outside centre back when predominantly we’ve played him as a middle one so far, which is probably the easiest place to play tactically for me, although you do get left one-v-one in large spaces as Rico (Ricardo Santos) will tell you.
“The outside ones have a bit more to do and just tactically, he’d been listening and you could see he was trying to take up the positions that I require him to get to, which was really pleasing. Unfortunately for him he picked up a bit of a thigh strain, not too serious and hopefully we’ll have him back soon.”
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