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Ian Evatt was happy to see his side “find a way” towards three points against Wycombe.
Goals from Gethin Jones and Jon Dadi Bodvarsson sealed a hard-fought result on a night where results for Portsmouth and Derby County made victory a must.
Wycombe wasted some good chances in the first half and Bolton keeper Joel Coleman made a few important saves to ensure Jones’s 32nd minute header remained the difference at the interval.
Wanderers improved after the break but it wasn’t until stoppage time that Bodvarsson made the game safe, backheeling Kyle Dempsey’s cross past Max Stryjek for the second.
Luke Leahy’s 97th minute penalty arrived too late to seriously test Bolton’s grip on the points and left Evatt pleased to have completed a double against the Chairboys this season.
“I am delighted to win,” he said. “I thought we did the hard yards really well.
“We have had a lot of disruption, lots of things that have tested us the last few weeks and Wycombe are a team that have only lost once since Boxing Day. They are in a really good run of form.
“They have reverted to type a little bit and ask you loads of questions but I thought we stood up to be counted magnificently at times.
“First half we rode our luck a little bit and looked fearful but second half was much better. We created some good opportunities and defended the penalty box until the last kick of the game. But that is a really good win and I’m delighted to get three points.”
Wanderers made six changes, with George Thomason’s three-game ban confirmed by the Football Association before the game.
Evatt felt swapping some of the players who had worked for a point at Northampton with 10 men on Saturday was a must against one of League One’s most dynamic sides.
“The type of game it is, they were always going to be energetic,” he said. “We’d put a lot into Saturday with 10 men for so long on a heavy pitch and we needed fresh legs, especially through the middle of the team.
“I thought we showed it today. Demps was back to his best and I am delighted for Jon, who has worked really hard and had some frustration this season, but it has paid off and I was delighted to see him get the winner.
“We scored two great goals. I keep talking about the importance of set plays, it was an excellent header from Geth. And Jon is brilliant, a great person, and he stuck with it, works hard, and I keep saying that hard work puts you where good luck can find you, and today he deserved that goal.”
Wanderers welcome Charlton Athletic to the Toughsheet Stadium on Saturday before facing Cambridge United in one of their games in hand on the promotion pack the following Tuesday.
Though the latest win was not one of the prettiest this season, Evatt was full of praise for the fact his side had ground out the points.
“It is a huge win but every win is a huge one now,” he said. “It isn’t all going to be beautiful and aesthetically pleasing.
“You have to find different ways to win football matches and the team once again has stood up to be counted and that point on Saturday now looks a much better one because we have backed it up with a win.
“We have 16 huge games to go. Yes, teams have won around us tonight but if we take care of our business nobody can stop or touch us, which is what we want.
“We just need to keep finding ways to win football matches. The captain is back next week, which will make a huge difference to us, hopefully one or two more will be back from injury too.”
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