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Wanderers boss Ian Evatt has hailed his side’s resilience ahead of the play-off semi-final second leg at Oakwell.
Barnsley drew first blood in the first leg, taking the lead through Nicky Cadden’s low drive just after the hour mark.
But the Whites hit back just four minutes later when Dion Charles bundled home after some good work by Randell Williams on the left flank.
Michael Duff’s side have one of the best records in the division when scoring first, and Evatt was pleased with his side’s response.
The Bolton boss wants them to play with freedom in the second leg as they aim to secure a return to Wembley.
“There are huge amounts of resilience in that team,” he told The Bolton News. “When they believe in themselves and play with freedom in their minds, they are a really difficult team to stop.
“It is just getting them in the frame of mind to produce that performance. They did it at Wembley, they did it for 20 minutes or so (in the first leg).
We need to go to Barnsley, where everyone now expects them to win, and perform the way we know that we can. I do think it is a real positive that it is a 50/50 game going into Friday.”
The fans also played their part at the weekend, rallying behind the team and making lots of noise after Cadden’s opener.
Evatt says the atmosphere “lifted” his players against Duff’s side, who were well-organised and tough to break down.
“Our crowd have been amazing all season,” he added. “There is a huge amount of expectancy at this club - there always is – and we have to rise to that.
“Even after they scored, the crowd lifted us again and when we got the goal, the place erupted. From then, it was all us apart from the last five minutes when it was set plays dot com again!
“For us, it is about focusing on our own performances and making sure that we perform to our best level. If we can do that for a larger period, we have a great chance of winning on Friday.
“But I thought it was a really good performance from Barnsley, a really professional away performance.”
James Trafford received plaudits for his display against the Tykes on what looks set to be his final game at the UniBol.
The England Under-21 international made important stops to deny Slobodan Tedic and Bobby Thomason either side of half time.
Trafford has gone from strength to strength since joining the Whites and Evatt reckons he has what it takes to go far in the game.
“Age is just a number for me,” the manager explained. “If there is a goalkeeper of that quality, you want him in any competition and any game.
“He is a brilliant young keeper and I believe he will go to the top of the game.”
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