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Kieran Lee is ready to return from injury to boost Wanderers squad for Saturday’s crucial home clash with Shrewsbury Town.
The influential midfielder has missed the last two games with a long-standing hip injury which has required careful monitoring over the last few seasons.
Ian Evatt hopes a spell of rest can see him return to his team-sheet this weekend for the first of three consecutive home games.
“He has a hip problem which has been niggling at him for a while, a degenerative injury,” he told The Bolton News. “He’s getting an old man, so we needed to take a bit of time to settle things down but I am pretty hopeful that he will be available again for the weekend.”
The Shrewsbury game will come too soon for Eoin Toal and Ricardo Santos, who are both making progress from their respective ankle and thigh injuries. Both players are pushing for a return to the pitch but after seeing his side take four points from two tough away games, Evatt admits the urgency to rush his defensive pair back into action has reduced.
“It is too soon this weekend but we will take it game by game and then see where we are at,” he added.
Wanderers dropped to sixth as a result of their draw at Burton and wins for Peterborough, in fifth, and Derby, in seventh, mean there is just one point separating all three sides going into this weekend’s round of games.
The advantage-maker for Bolton is their game in hand, to be played on Tuesday at home to Accrington.
Evatt remains calm about the club’s position and was encouraged by energy shown at the Pirelli Stadium.
“That was probably our best performance since Wembley, so to come here after three tough away games and everyone thinking the worst, the players really stood up,” he said.
“Before the weekend if you had said four points from the two games we’d have probably snapped your hands off. On the downside, the performance warranted more. We didn’t get it – and you would probably say that things have levelled themselves out from the other away games.
“For us now we have to reset, forget what has happened here and just focus on Shrewsbury for Saturday.”
Posh face second-placed Ipswich Town at London Road this weekend, with Derby at home to neighbours Burton – but Bolton’s task at home to a Shrewsbury side whose form has dipped in recent weeks is not being ignored.
“We’re at that stage of the season where everything is competitive, it all seems to be about fine margins,” he said after the final whistle on Tuesday night.
“All we can do it focus on our own process and performance and that was excellent. I have no doubt if we play like that again 99 times out of 100 we win. This was just one of those nights where we couldn’t quite get the goal but we’re still in the top six, we have been in there a long time now, and it is very much in our hands.”
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