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After Wanderers ground out another win in their promotion chase, Ian Evatt predicted that more opponents will look to frustrate and contain at the UniBol this season.
Cheltenham Town came within 10 minutes of strangling a point from a challenging afternoon until Kyle Dempsey came up with a sparkling finish from the edge of the box.
Bolton were not at their best, nor were they allowed to be, with the Robins trying every trick in the book to slow them down and waste time with the game still goalless.
Evatt reckons his side must wise up to teams looking to defend deep and hit on the counter attack.
“It was very, very tough to break them down but there’s more of that coming as well. We have to get used to it,” he told The Bolton News.
“It is a learning curve for us all and in that type of game the early goal is so important.
“We must find a way of getting that, and there were opportunities for it to happen.
“Having said that I am really pleased with the clean sheet, with the concentration we showed, and when you keep the clean sheet then it gives you an opportunity to win games because you only need the one moment of magic, and we have players who can do that, like Kyle, and it was a brilliantly taken goal.”
Cheltenham actually boasted more possession on the day – but continual attempts to break up play made for a stormy atmosphere around the stadium.
“I believe in my team and that we will create chances,” Evatt said. “Sometimes it takes good moments to win football matches and Kyle has produced one there.
“Against a team that make it difficult, and credit to them they came in with a gameplan and were really well organised, there was lots of disruption and I don’t remember the ball being in play that much, especially in the first half.
“We camped out in their final third but it was tough. We managed to get the goal and the win, so that is the sign of a good team.”
Conor Bradley will miss the next two games after picking up his 10th booking of the season, ironically for timewasting, soon after Bolton had opened the scoring.
Evatt disputes that the wing-back was in the wrong and believes that match referee Sunny Singh Gill should have cracked down on Cheltenham’s trickery earlier in the game.
“That does take place in the first half, and that is a frustration of mine,” he said. “There was lots going on, lots of shenanigans, and when we got the goal we’re being rushed, the ref is all over us.
“Conor ended up getting a yellow card and he wasn’t timewasting, he was just throwing the ball back to Eoin Toal taking the throw in.
“There has to be a level of consistency and I don’t think there was today.”
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