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Ian Evatt believes some of his players “let themselves down” against Aston Villa’s kids in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy.
Beaten on penalties after a 1-1 draw, the Whites will now need to beat Fleetwood in their final group game in November to guarantee qualification for the next round.
Wanderers had made seven changes to the team which drew with Shrewsbury Town in League One on Saturday, including a debut for academy graduate goalkeeper Luke Hutchinson, but still had a line-up containing ample experience.
Villa, by contrast, had to make 10 changes from the Under-21 team that played in their last fixture against Newcastle United, many of which were drafted in from the Under-18s.
Bolton missed several big chances in the early stages and were also thwarted on a number of occasions by Polish keeper Oliwier Zych, but Evatt believes the wastefulness in front of goal will not have a bearing on the next home game against Burton Albion after the international break.
He said: “We have just scored how many goals in the last four league games? I think the team is finding itself again but all it has done, really, is that the ones who are in the league team have probably cemented their places. There were opportunities for others tonight and they have let themselves down.
“That isn’t my fault, that isn’t the staff’s fault, players want to play, but I have said many times that managers don’t pick teams, players do. And when you get an opportunity you need to take it, and there are too many tonight who haven’t taken their chance.”
Youngsters Jack Dallimore, Sonny Sharples-Ahmed, Conor Lewis and Dave Abimbola were left on the bench as Evatt had to send on Kyle Dempsey and Victor Adeboyejo in the second half to try and rescue a point.
Evatt said he had wanted to use some of the B Team and Under-18 regulars but was disappointed at how his side had failed to make their chances count.
He said: “That was the plan, to start fast, as we have done of late. And we did, we had the chances, we just didn’t take them. They score with the one attack they had in the first half, we didn’t stop the cross, we didn’t defend the cross well enough – which is something we need to improve on – and then we just looked panicked, shell-shocked. It didn’t seem like the ball would ever go in.
“And, yes, the keeper has had a brilliant game there’s no denying it but some of that is down to our poor decision-making and execution.”
Wanderers will now give the senior players a few days off before reassembling at the start of next week to start preparing for a key run of games before the next break in November.
Evatt will also learn his fate with an FA disciplinary committee to decide what punishment he receives for a misconduct charge brought for his actions after Saturday’s game.
He said: “The players are jaded, we have had a lot of long journeys, we had the Arsenal game, we have put a lot of effort into the last four league games and have picked up. If we can win the next block of games and have a similar run, we know we will be there or thereabouts.
“That is everyone’s focus now, to move on to the next game against Burton here and we need to be doing everything to win it.”
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