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Wanderers must up their game against Wrexham if they are to continue their winning start to the season, says Ian Evatt.
After edging out Mansfield Town on penalties in the Carabao Cup, all eyes are now on Sunday’s televised clash and the return of former Whites boss Phil Parkinson and his promoted side.
With a handful of players still to find full fitness and seven signings still settling in, Evatt concedes that his team will not hit their peak for a while yet in League One.
But he remains confident his players will rise to the occasion at the Toughsheet Stadium, where close to 24,000 supporters are now expected to gather for the first home league game of the campaign.
“We won on Saturday at Leyton Orient and the objective was to get through in the cup, and we did,” Evatt told The Bolton News. “Have we been at our fluid best yet? No. But that’s good, it is how it should be, we want to be a work in progress. We want to continue to get better, and if we’re getting results in the meantime then it can only be a positive.
“We know we have to play better on Sunday, but we are well capable of doing it. In terms of confidence and momentum, it will do us no harm at all.”
Wanderers could have midfielder Kyle Dempsey back in the frame for weekend after he made a successful return from a knee injury which kept him out of action for most of the pre-season.
Evatt was also pleased to see some of his summer signings get their first competitive start on Tuesday night, including defender Chris Forino, who was also unable to feature in any of the club’s friendlies because of a thigh problem.
“It has been good to get him started,” he said. “He is aggressive, really athletic, and he’s going to get used to the way we play and what we do. I think there were positives from him and going forward he’ll learn more about us and we’ll learn more about him. The crucial thing for him is that he stays in one piece and that we get him up to full speed, which these cup games are really going to help to do.”
Another full debutant, Jay Matete, caught the eye against Mansfield with a combative 90 minute performance and a nonchalant finish in the shoot-out.
“He is a good player – one we have known about for a long time,” Evatt added. “I love the way he receives the ball in tight spaces, against direct pressure, he is not afraid to take it and manipulate himself out of situations, he is very good at that. I think that is where the frustration came from with their player (Hiram Boateng), him and George Thomason were starting to link-up really well and make it difficult for them, so he lost his temper a little bit.
“There were positives, I think Jordi (Osei-Tutu) carried the ball really well and showed flashes of what he is going to bring to us. He will get fitter and stronger as time goes on.
“It was good to see Randell (Williams) back and John (McAtee) will get loads better as well, he hasn’t had loads of games in pre-season but as he goes on he will improve.”
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