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Ian Evatt said he and his players had to “own” a poor performance in which Wanderers crashed to a 3-1 home defeat to Carlisle United.
Despite taking the lead in the first half through Jon Mellish’s own goal, Bolton struggled to make a dent on their opponents who got level through Jordan Gibson’s penalty after Joe Garner had missed from the spot a few minutes earlier.
Gibson then added two goals in the second half, the third in added time after Whites keeper Nathan Baxter got stranded miles from his own goal after going up for an attacking corner.
A hugely disappointing performance had come off the back of three straight wins in league and cup and while Evatt disputed the award of both penalties he had no complaints about the outcome.
“We looked devoid of energy, devoid of ideas second half,” he said. “We looked flat and leggy and this week has probably been a game too far with the lack of options we have had to rotate and freshen up.
“It is disappointing because we have battled all week but today there were too many under par.
“We got ahead and the two penalties are an absolute joke. I don’t even want to discuss them but I don’t think either of them are penalties. I am sure they are not, in fact.
“But that is going to happen and we had other opportunities. Dion missed a great one at the start of the second half, we huffed, puffed and the second goal goes in with a deflection, then we make a crazy decision at the end with Nathan going up when there’s four minutes left.
“There was no reason for him to do it. We were hopefully going to get one more wave of attack, one more opportunity to get a result, and we gave it away.
“Having said that, Nathan was outstanding in the game so that won’t happen again.”
Baxter’s late rush to the penalty box came in the 93rd minute, with another three guaranteed to be played by referee Seb Stocksbridge.
Evatt confirmed it had not been his decision to send the keeper up.
He said after the final whistle: “We are concentrating on the taker and where the space is going to be to score a goal but then the next thing I see, Nathan is on the edge of the box. He has made that decision, it was a rash one, but we will learn from that now. It won’t happen again.
“Nathan, in particular, was one of the only players to walk off with any credit.”
Wanderers were missing players through suspension and injury, making only one change from the side who had edged past Stevenage a few days earlier by the odd goal in five.
“It caught up with us, we lacked zest, energy and intensity, and that is really the foundations of what everything else is built from,” Evatt noted. “We looked lethargic on second balls, on transition, in possession for sure, we didn’t move the ball nearly quick enough. We have to take responsibility for that and we have to come back and improve.
“I don’t want to make too many excuses about the injuries we have had and the level of fitness we have had – players with injuries – or referee’s decisions. We have to own that performance and be better for it.”
The absence of club skipper Ricardo Santos was especially missed against Carlisle’s target man Joe Garner, said Evatt, whose side has to wait a fortnight to make amends with a home game against Northampton Town.
“This break has come at the right time,” he said. “We have a chance to get Rico back, we missed him hugely today, I thought Joe Garner physically dominated all of our centre-backs and if we have Rico that doesn’t happen.
“Get him back, Paris and Gethin back, one or two others, and we will go again.”
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