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Pressure in the play-off race went up a notch this week for Wanderers – but Ian Evatt says he will have a cool head going into Saturday’s clash with Ipswich Town.
Wins for Barnsley, Wycombe, Peterborough and Plymouth in midweek have raised the stakes in the top six and placed even more emphasis on Bolton returning to winning ways against another one of their immediate rivals.
Ipswich were 3-0 victors at home to Accrington on Tuesday night, keeping them third in the table, five points off the automatic spots.
The Tractor Boys come to the UniBol in imperious form, having won their last four and not conceded a goal in their last five games.
Evatt feels that the occasion and the style of football brought by his next opponents will bring the best out of his own side.
“I don’t fear it – I genuinely don’t worry about us in the big games,” he told The Bolton News. “I think we have improved in that type of game, our performance levels have been very good.
“I know we haven’t always got the right results but I think our performances against the clubs in an around us have been much better this season and that is what we must maintain.
“I am looking forward to the game, it’ll be a great challenge for them as well as us.”
Bolton’s record against teams in the current top eight stands at four wins, four draws and four defeats from the 12 games they have played so far.
Plymouth, Sheffield Wednesday and Wycombe have taken more points per game – but Ipswich, who drew against the Whites at Portman Road on the opening day of the season, have won just two of their nine games against teams currently in the top eight.
Evatt wants his side to forget about permutations and which of their rivals may have the preferable run-in and concentrate on what they can affect on the pitch.
“I think sometimes we do need to remind ourselves that we are in a good place,” he said.
“We are in a cup final, we are in a play-off place and regardless of who has played what and who is playing who, all those teams will have to go through a similar run to the one we have just been on. It will be tough.
“People are fighting for their lives in this division and they ask a lot of questions of you regardless of where you are in the league.
“For us it is just a case of staying calm, focussing on our processes and making sure we deliver those performances.”
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