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Nathan Baxter has refused to let a wrist injury keep him out of Wanderers’ promotion push.
The goalkeeper suffered a torn ligament in the first half of Saturday’s home game against Barnsley and was considered a serious doubt for the trip to Cambridge United a few days later.
Behind the scenes, Baxter had been assessed by medical staff who gave him the option of playing on with the painful problem or stepping aside for two or three weeks to allow it to heal.
Joel Coleman was brought on to the bench on Tuesday night as a precaution but speaking after the match was abandoned nine minutes after kick-off for a waterlogged pitch, Ian Evatt explained that Baxter had made the final call on his involvement.
“When he was down on Saturday he hurt his hand, there’s no point me sugar-coating that but fortunately for us there is no bone damage,” he told The Bolton News. “He has a torn ligament in his wrist.
“It isn’t going to impact what he does as a keeper. There is pain, of course, and there is some swelling, but he wants to continue and there is nothing that can stop him doing it.
“We have had him checked by a specialist and there is no long-term danger to Nathan, so he wants to carry on regardless of the pain and I have no issue with that.”
Wanderers remained third as a result of Tuesday’s events and will now look to reschedule as quickly as possible.
Evatt has already suggested February 20 as a potential date, with neither side in action, which could give him time to bring captain Ricardo Santos back from injury.
The Whites go back on the road this weekend, with another sell-out away allocation following them down to Northampton Town.
And though the fixture schedule is now filled to the brim for the remainder of the season, Evat welcomes the chance to get some of his key players back involved, “Ricardo is a massive player and won’t be too far away from that fixture,” he said of a potential February 20 game at Cambridge. “I think it probably benefits me having another game because I can keep them all happy, keep them all rotating.
“Look, we are going to have to do this the hard way. We’ll keep fighting and we are in a fantastic position but every time it looks like we are going to break into that top two, something happens to prevent it.
“But for us is it about focussing on what we have got, maximising what we have got, and getting ready to go into that next game at Northampton ready to give it everything for a win.”
Wanderers could also have defender Will Forrester back involved in the first team squad on Saturday.
The centre-back has not featured since mid-January when he sustained a minor hamstring tear but is now back in full training.
Wing-back Randell Williams is still a few weeks away from a return after his own hamstring issues.
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