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Ian Evatt wants Wanderers to leave any regrets from the regular season behind and “attack” the play-offs.
Having come up short in their pursuit of second-placed Derby County, Bolton must now negotiate a tricky two-legged semi-final with old foes Barnsley before getting another shot at Championship football.
Evatt says he and the players must take disappointment on the chin and make sure it does not impact Friday’s trip to Oakwell.
Asked about finding a ‘reset’ in the time between the 3-3 draw at Peterborough and the game at Barnsley, the Bolton boss told The Bolton News: “We have to, it is all we can do.
“Our aim and ambition all season was to try and get top two but the message from pre-season was that we are not entitled to anything.
“There are other clubs that are trying to do the same thing and I don’t buy into the fact that this is a poor league, I’m not having that. There are 23 other managers who have had a plan and tried to do their best to win games every Saturday-Tuesday and it is tough.
“It is no good feeling sorry for ourselves about the injuries, or anything else. I do think they had an influence on our season, and we ended up five points short, which is two games.
“We have to own that. We can all look back over the course of the season and have our view on where that went wrong.
“But the fact remains that we have won more, we have lost less, than last season. There are key personnel back this year in the right physical condition to attack the play-offs. There is still a chance to get promotion but only if we are focussed.
“Let’s not allow ourselves to look at anything but Friday and Barnsley because that has to be our only though right now.”
Wanderers fought back to claim a point at Barnsley in their last visit in early March – Randell Williams’ late goal sparking memorable celebrations in front of the away supporters.
That proved a turning point for the hosts too, with their form tailing off towards the end of the season and almost costing them a place in the top six.
Evatt wants to channel the same spirit his side showed that night, and in the first half against Peterborough on Saturday, to give themselves the best possible chance of progression in the second leg.
“I thought the second half at Barnsley looked a lot like our first half (at Peterborough),” he said. “We were dominant, aggressive, really physical, and we played some good quality at times as well.
“That is where it starts. We have a framework in and out of possession and we have to stick with it, believe in it and maintain it because when they do they are a hard team to stop.”
Meanwhile, Will Finnie has been picked as the referee for the play-off final first leg at Barnsley.
The Bedfordshire-based official has taken charge of six Bolton games since joining the EFL list in 2019, and Wanderers have won five of them.
His most recent game was the 2-1 home win against Wycombe in February.
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