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Ian Evatt was pleased with Wanderers’ “resolute” performance at Bristol Rovers – but was left sweating over potential injuries to Ricardo Santos and Josh Sheehan.
Aaron Collins struck against his former club and Aaron Morley wrapped up the result from the penalty spot in stoppage time.
Santos played through a calf issue, while Sheehan made way with a hamstring problem during the second half.
“The most important thing was to win the game and we managed to do that,” Evatt said after the final whistle.
“I thought it was resolute, we dug in and did the hard yards. We had to defend at times in really difficult conditions out there – from the stands you probably couldn’t tell how much the wind affected the game.
“We lacked some fluidity but what we didn’t lack was courage, desire and bravery. Then a moment of real quality from Aaron which is exactly why we brought him in. A really calm finish and then Cameron came on and affected the game for us in the last few minutes to get us over the line.
“That equals last season’s points tally with four games to spare and gets the gap within a point (of second-place Derby).
“For us, it is just about focusing on the remaining four games. Three are at home and one is obviously against Portsmouth on Saturday, which will be extremely tough.
“There are one or two worrying things in terms of injuries, with Rico’s calf and Josh’s hamstring. We will have to see how they are. But for now, we will just enjoy today and regroup on Monday.”
Will Forrester had been warming up at one stage but Evatt opted to keep skipper Santos on the pitch as the Whites battled to protect their clean sheet.
“It seems a similar thing to what happened in the Blackpool cup game where he was able to continue but the calf was getting progressively worse,” Evatt continued. “All we can do is pray to the stars and fingers crossed, it is not bad news.”
Nathan Baxter returned to the side following a wrist injury and didn’t show any signs of rustiness, making several important stops.
“He was ready,” the manager explained. “Nathan did what I expect him to do, he is an outstanding goalkeeper.
“Joel made the decision tough because I think he has got progressively better. I think he needs a lot of credit for standing up for us when we need him to.
“It is not easy to come out of the cold in an instant and play under this pressure, and I thought he did admirably.
“But it is obviously good to have Nathan back because he is a big character for us and a big player. Dion (Charles) is round the corner.
“As I said, I am just slightly concerned about Rico and Josh who are two more big players for us.”
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