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Wanderers go into a potentially explosive game at Morecambe tomorrow with instructions to let their football do the talking.
Though kick-off has been moved to lunchtime to try and diffuse some of the emotions which ran high in last season’s meeting at the Mazuma Stadium, Ian Evatt is expecting another hostile reception.
Last February Lancashire Police opened an investigation against claims of racist abuse aimed towards players in the Bolton dugout, which had prompted Evatt to take his players off the pitch for 10 minutes.
No charges were brought in the end, with the investigation closed nine months later.
Five Bolton supporters were arrested and the club was fined for behaviour in the away end, including a pitch invasion after Amadou Bakayoko grabbed an injury time equaliser.
Faced with a potentially incendiary atmosphere, Evatt said he and his players would look to make their point on the pitch.
“Sometimes in the face of adversity you need to show the best version of yourself,” he told The Bolton News. “And I think the only way we can do that is by letting our football do the talking for us.
“What happened has happened. We are at peace with it now.
“We know what happened but we have moved on and only want to focus on ourselves on Saturday. The best way to silence a crowd is by making sure you play well, and that is what we plan to do.”
Evatt is looking for a response from his players after a few tired performances, the latest being a 3-1 defeat at Portsmouth on Tuesday night.
It is hoped that strikers Cameron Jerome and Victor Adeboyejo will be fit enough to feature in the squad but the Wanderers boss expects a positive reaction against a Shrimps side that has lost just one of their last 11 games at home.
“This is a very difficult game and, let’s be honest, we have not been at our zesty, fluid selves post-Accrington,” he said. “We took a hit on Saturday but managed to win the game, then on Tuesday at Portsmouth – even though we flew down – the travel, being away from home, it all added up. It was the worst possible place for that game.
“These things happen. Everyone is looking at the league table and talking about games in hand but I know where I’d rather be, I’d want points on the board.
“Our schedule has been hectic – but everyone else is going to have to go through the same thing to catch up.
“We know we can be better than we were at Portsmouth. And even though we were nowhere near our best, we were still in a winning position with 15 minutes to go.
“The three set pieces I will look at in isolation and make sure we improve but we know we are a better team than that, so hopefully we can show that on Saturday.”
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