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Ian Evatt didn’t know how Wanderers managed to pick up three points against Port Vale – but he was sure glad they did!
The Bolton boss - celebrating his 150th game in charge - had feared that Wednesday night’s Papa Johns Trophy semi-final win at Accrington would take the edge off his side’s performance. And when Ellis Harrison opened the scoring just eight minutes in, those concerns looked entirely justified.
But goals from Victor Adeboyejo and Josh Sheehan got the Whites in front by the midway point in the first half, a position they refused to surrender for the rest of the game.
“I knew on Thursday that this was going to be really tough and I could see it yesterday that physically and mentally the players were really tired,” he said. “Wednesday was a huge moment for us all at this football club and to pick us back up with a day less recovery was tough, especially against a team which ask so many questions. There are a handful of teams who play full energy, intense pressure, front foot football and it is a game where you have to be there, so credit to the players they found a way to win because they were out on their feet.
“Against that type of pressure your decision-making can be affected when you are not 100 per cent.
“I don’t know how we have done it – but credit to them, they did it.
“It wasn’t about performance today, it was nothing but three points.
“I felt sorry for Shola (Shoretire) and Luke (Mbete) taking them off at half time but once I’d seen the game I knew there was no way we were going to get Shola into it. We just needed a physical presence up there, and that’s against our ethos, really. But it was what was needed to get the three points.”
Wanderers face another quick turnaround, playing against Portsmouth on Tuesday night at Fratton Park, and Evatt hopes his players can cope with another challenge as they move towards the business end of the season.
“They have won four-zip today, so that will be tough, as will Saturday at Morecambe, who are fighting for their lives,” he said. “We have four games left in this block, two against sides in and around us with a week in between, which is good for us.
“We have got a quick midweek fixture this week and then Morecambe, and after that we can get some freshness back into them.
“It might not be a prettiest for the next game or two but we have to find a way, which is what we did today.”
Evatt made four changes to his side, resting the likes of Dion Charles, Declan John, Gethin Jones and Kieran Lee, with one eye on their midweek fixture.
“I was able to utilise the squad a bit, keep people fresh for Tuesday and make changes were possible,” he said. “I wanted to give us some energy to get over the line.
“It’s great credit to the players and I have to give credit to Port Vale as well because they have pushed us, asked lots of questions, and they were unfortunate not to get something out of the game.
“But it shows where my players are at mindset-wise. Even though we were nowhere near where we can be, we still found a way to win.”
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