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Wanderers wrecked Luton Town’s holiday plans to book themselves a potential money-spinning replay in the FA Cup.
Bolton battled to a goalless draw at Kenilworth Road to ensure that rather than jetting out for a warm weather training camp in Dubai on Monday week, the Premier League Hatters will be heading for Horwich and the Toughsheet Stadium.
Ian Evatt admitted his side came under heavy pressure and rode their luck when Alfie Doughty’s second-half shot hit the inside of the post.
But he felt they had played well enough to warrant a second bite of the cherry.
“The start of second half we didn’t manage that spell well enough,” he said. “I thought we edged the first half and were the better team.
“We had some good patterns of play but we just didn’t make that final pass or decision.
“In the second half we went a bit safe, they put the pressure on but we defended our box well.
“The last 10 minutes we got on the ascendancy and were just a drop of the ball or moment when we could finish. But it just didn’t quite happen.
“When you see cup shocks normally it is the lower league team hanging on for dear life with the Premier League team peppering the goal.
“But we wanted to win on merit and take it to them. Yes, we rode our luck at the start of the second half, that end was almost sucking the ball into the goal at times.
“We perhaps could have nicked it.”
There was one heart-in-mouth moment after Doughty’s shot had hit the woodwork where Will Forrester’s challenge on the wing-back was checked for a possible penalty by the VAR officials.
It was the first time a video referee had been used in a game involving Bolton, and current rules mean it will not be available when the two sides meet for the replay, Evatt was happy to back the officials, even though the experience was completely new to him.
“I didn’t really know what was happening,” he said. “We are not used to VAR in League One.
“What I will say is the referee made the decision and there were two experienced officials in the VAR hub who looked it as well and both of them thought it wasn’t a penalty, so it wasn’t a penalty.
“There were enough guys looking at the incident to know whether it is or isn’t.”
Wanderers face a Bristol Street Motors Trophy game at Accrington on Wednesday and a home game against Cheltenham Town in League One before any replay is scheduled.
And Evatt wants to see similar application in two games which will arguably have a much more profound effect on the club’s campaign.
“It is no good doing this today and it being a one-off. We must sustain these performances and be consistent with what we are doing,” he said.
“Hopefully, we will have a chance of getting back to the Championship and cause an upset in the replay.
“We just have to keep going, consistency is the main thing for us. We know what we are capable of, it is just doing it on a more regular basis.
“For us, it wasn’t win or bust. We didn’t want to give it away if we couldn’t win it. This club has been through the mill as everyone knows.
“The fans have suffered, and we are trying very hard to rebuild it to where it once was.
“Hopefully there will be a full house for the replay and the extra revenue will go a long way to getting us back to where we want to get to.”
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