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Wanderers will be reunited with former favourite Kieran Sadlier at Wycombe tonight – but Ian Evatt insists he has no axe to grind.
The former Doncaster Rovers wide man proved a popular signing at Bolton, playing 45 times in all competitions and providing nine goals in and year-and-a-half with the club.
He struggled to get regular starts under Evatt, however, and was granted a contract termination in September to facilitate a move to Adams Park.
Sadlier has not had much luck thus far getting game time with the Chairboys, his only two starts coming in the EFL Trophy, but won’t be lacking in motivation if offered the chance.
Evatt said only the 29-year-old’s desire to find more time on the pitch led to their parting of ways.
He told The Bolton News: “He didn’t find a niche – but he is a lovely lad and we never once had any problems with him, his attitude to training and to learning was fantastic. I can’t speak highly enough of that.
“It was just that when we signed him we were playing 4-2-3-1, then we changed because we weren’t having much success with that and we needed some more physicality on the pitch with an extra centre-back, a different way of playing.
“We changed and that theoretically didn’t suit him, although we did have some spells where he played as a wing-back and he was successful, he scored goals.
“He wanted to play more regularly. I have no issue with someone wanting to do that. Football is a short career, something that comes and goes really quickly, and I have lived it myself.
“From what I have seen he hasn’t started too many games so far and they play 3-5-2, which probably isn’t ideal for Kieran, but he will be wanting to do well. He has nothing to prove to me, or to any of our fans, we know what he can do.
“We had no issues with him and wish him well.”
Wanderers returned to winning ways against Northampton Town at the weekend but did so under somewhat of a cloud, with some backlash over the quality of the second-half performance.
Evatt reckons his players have to be mentally strong if criticism comes their way.
“We can only control what we can control, become immune to that, almost,” he said.
“When it is positive we use it, thrive on it, but when it isn’t we stick to our guns, stay courageous, keep having the ball in tight areas and doing the things that make us a good team.
“Saturday was a strange one. I didn’t really understand the reaction over the last 15-20 minutes or think we were in any doubt of not winning the game but everyone just wants to win, the fans more than anyone, and we’re doing our best to deliver that for them.
“They have been magnificent this season and I’m sure they will be out there in number at Wycombe and Charlton, two very long journeys, but hopefully we can perform like we did Saturday – especially the first half – and pick up more points.”
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