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Wanderers won’t surrender their slim chances of automatic promotion – but Ian Evatt accepts his side must be “realistic” as they consider a second successive tilt at the play-offs.
Trailing Derby County by three points with two games to play, the race for a top-two spot could be effectively over by the time players and staff gather on Saturday evening for the end-of-season awards.
That ceremony promises to be a bittersweet affair, with Bolton now looking likely to fall short of the target they set after defeat to Barnsley 12 months ago.
With that in mind, Evatt knows there will be upset around the fanbase and within his own squad. But with one more avenue still open to secure Championship football next season he has appealed to everyone connected with the club to put talk of failures to one side for the time being and concentrate on affecting the games to come.
Wanderers must make sure they beat Port Vale on Saturday to stand any chance on the final weekend when they travel to Peterborough United, who are also still mathematically in the mix for an automatic place.
Another big home crowd is expected at the Toughsheet Community Stadium, and Evatt has called for any frustrations to be shelved for the time being with a bigger picture now at play.
“I expect there to be disappointment and frustration and I think Saturday will be challenging – we all – regardless of your opinions – believe in this team, deep down,” he told The Bolton News.
“Everyone can see what this team is capable of doing, so when we don’t live up to those standards then there is bound to be upset.
“I do think there is context to it all, there always is. There are reasons behind what has happened and why we can feel a little bit sorry for ourselves in terms of the injuries to the spine of the team in a crucial period of the season. But we have to let it go now.
“Now is the time to try and increase that faith and make sure we’re ready for what is to come. We’ll give it our best shot on Saturday to win the game, of course, and then Peterborough which is another direct opponent.
“We are already guaranteed fourth, so that means a guaranteed home fixture in the second leg, which I think is a massive thing for us. We have to carry momentum through.
“There is no reason this team can’t go and win five games but we must lift ourselves and everyone must take some responsibility in doing that – myself, the players, the fans, the media, we all have to try and park this pretty quickly and get ready for the challenge to come.”
Should Derby slip at Cambridge United, there is also a sizeable goal difference to be addressed between the two clubs.
After making a tough call to pull Ricardo Santos, Gethin Jones and Josh Sheehan out of the Shrewsbury game so as not to risk aggravating minor injuries, Evatt admits he has another big call to make for the weekend.
“We have to win the game, first and foremost, but we will need one eye on the goal difference,” he added.
“Everyone has to be up to speed and we will continue to make decisions with the medical team based on who needs minutes, who needs to be taken care of and prepared for what is to come. It is a difficult situation to manage because there still is a chance, you never know, but we are seeing it as five games to win now. We have to be realistic.”
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