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Randell Williams was substituted by ‘mistake’ in last night’s 2-0 win against Stockport County.
Ian Evatt confirmed there had been a mix-up after the wing-back took a knock early in the game at Edgeley Park, which led to him being replaced by Josh Dacres-Cogley inside 20 minutes.
Williams headed straight down the tunnel but did not appear to be in any discomfort as he left the field with physio Matt Barrass – and the Bolton boss, who was watching from the stands, admitted there had been some crossed wires.
“It was more miscommunication more than anything,” he explained. “Randell had a hefty bang on Saturday and it was fine to play. He then got another knock on the same spot, which he then mentioned to Rico (Santos) and he then communicated with the bench.
“The wires got crossed somewhere because he came off and didn’t really need to, and that then affected us having the opportunity to bring on Conor (Lewis) or young Noah (Halford) in the second half.
“But it was a great experience for them and I am delighted for Sonny (Sharples) to get on the pitch as well because he has not done himself any harm training with the first team. He has applied himself in the correct way, stood up really well, and so to get him on the pitch was a great moment for him and his family.”
Evatt was delighted for Luke Matheson, who made his first start for the club after signing in the summer.
“He just slotted in seamlessly,” the manager added. “He fitted into the team and looked like he had been there all along, which is great credit to him.”
Wanderers do not play again now until Saturday, November 25, when they entertain Exeter City.
Players will now be given a few days off before re-convening on Monday to start preparing for a busy run to the end of the year which takes in nine more games, including away trips to the top two – Oxford United and Portsmouth.
Evatt said of his players: “They have programs to take away with them. But to be able to play at the intensity we need them to be at and with the focus we need in the blocks of games coming up, they need to reset and refresh. We will trust them with that, we will give them some time off, but there is still some gym work to keep them robust enough to carry on when they return on Monday to attack the next fixture.”
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