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Ian Evatt says he never lost faith in Dan Nlundulu after watching the striker take another big step forward in a Wanderers shirt.
The former Southampton striker scored twice in the second half as Bolton beat Harrogate Town 5-1 in the second round of the FA Cup, moving on to five goals for the season.
Nlundulu has spoken recently about his battle to gain favour in the fans’ eyes but Evatt is confident that the 24-year-old is moving in the right direction.
“I have never doubted what he is capable of doing,” he said. “Dan has a lot of talent and a lot of attributes, and it is just a case of him putting them all together consistently, when he does he is virtually unplayable.
“Him and Jon in the first half were unplayable and his work for Jon’s second goal was outstanding. Jon will get all the credit for the finishes and rightly so but Dan’s work was great in the build-up. I was really pleased with both of them, they were two of the main positives.”
Dion Charles and Victor Adeboyejo have started eight of the last 11 games together but both were rested from the start against Harrogate, leaving Bodvarsson and Nlundulu to further their own cause.
Evatt said the pair’s performance was the stand-out feature of a win that looked comprehensive on paper but left the Wanderers boss a little nonplussed.
“They are good players and I have never lost faith and belief in any of them,” he said of his striker options. “They are a really talented group and that is why I hold them accountable when they dip below those standards.
“They understand it, I am not nit-picking, I am not doing it just to moan, I am doing it because the standards here are now sky-high and it is those players who have created those demands. That needs to be celebrated.
“I am delighted for Jon and Dan because they are two very good players and they were our main positives from that game.”
Asked what he wants from Sunday afternoon’s draw, Evatt said his side hoped for Premier League opposition, but that their focus would not be taken from their next game against Port Vale in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy in midweek.
“The groundsman won’t want another home draw,” he said. “But it is what it is and we’ll take what we get. It will be great for us to get a big day out and get something to help the coffers but we are just happy to be in the next round, to be honest.
“I have doubled my tally in the FA Cup, which is nice, but I just want the players to be as consistently good as they can be.
“The first goal was outstanding, typical us the way we combined and switched, and I just wanted to see more of that.
“But the players know, they understand, so we will just get ready now for a big game on Tuesday.”
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