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The league might be Wanderers' “bread and butter” this season – but Ian Evatt says it is still important to build a winning habit in the cup competitions.
Evatt plans to make changes for the visit of Mansfield Town, with several players needing minutes on the pitch to build up their sharpness.
However, the Bolton boss wants to win every time his players step across the white line and insists they are not taking the fixture lightly.
“We know that we must prioritise the league this season, that has to be our bread and butter,” said the manager.
“We have tried, and will continue to try, to win every game but we also know that the league is our absolute priority. There will be changes but it doesn’t mean to say we are taking it easily.
“It just means there is an opportunity to give people minutes who desperately need them to get them up to speed, and to see some of our new recruits who have just signed and need to get used to the way we do things.”
He added: “Change brings opportunity and we have got a squad of players who are itching to show what they are capable of doing. That doesn’t necessarily mean the team becomes any weaker.
“We have a good squad of players and as I have reminded them, playing for this club comes with huge responsibility and we are expected to win in every game we play, regardless of the opposition.
“We have to make sure we are ready for it. Mansfield had a fantastic result on Friday (against Barnsley), I think it will be a tough game.”
The Wanderers squad has been strengthened over the summer, with eight new recruits arriving so far.
John McAtee, Jordi Osei-Tutu and Jay Matete all made appearances off the bench at Brisbane Road over the weekend.
“We have got a good squad of players,” said Evatt. “We were able to energise the game on Saturday, it wasn’t making changes to see out a game or to hang on to what we had.
“We were making chances to energise and try to win it, and that is what we did so it was very pleasing.
“It is a squad game, it is not just about 11. It is about the entire squad and everybody is going to have to stand up at some point during the season.”
He continued: “It felt good to win away from home at a place where we haven’t won before, that is a positive start. We know we can and will be better, these early games are always challenging.
“Players need to settle in and we had a lot of players who have had one training session, players who joined us during the summer or are trying to get up to speed because they have missed parts of pre-season.
“Early on, we may not see the best of us just yet but what I did see was a desire to win a football match, a lot of character and togetherness.”
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