Bolton Wanderers 5-2 Reading: Ian Evatt post match reaction

The Bolton boss had been under intense pressure to turn around a poor start to the season but was delighted to see them bounce back to goal-scoring form, with Dion Charles leading the way with a first-half hat-trick.

Calls had come from some sections of the fanbase for a change of manager, and a banner briefly appeared in the crowd bearing the words “Evatt Out” during the first half.

But the manager and his players were able to walk around the pitch to applaud the supporters at the end, having beaten the Royals by exactly the same scoreline that they did back in April.

“Obviously it has been really tough, personally for me and collectively for us all,” he said of the days since the Huddersfield defeat. “This industry is tough at times and it can be hard to switch off from it.

“But the players have been amazing this week and I touched on that on Thursday.

“I felt like we have found a bit of ourselves again this week. For whatever reason it feels like the system helps us, gets back to what we know, front-foot aggressive football, suffocating teams and sustaining attacks and that is why we got the goals.

“It wasn’t our fluid best, of course not, but I think that was impossible with what we have been through so far and the nervousness it causes. We can get better but it is a lot more like what we are and what we stand for as a team.”

Many felt the Reading game was the most pressured that Evatt had faced outside the play-offs since taking charge four years ago, and he admitted that the expectation to turn things around had made the game itself hard to enjoy.

“Of course, I was anxious because I want us to win football matches and I care deeply about this club and I have been here a long time. I care deeply about the players, the fans, the staff, the players I work for, they all matter a great deal to him. Of course I am anxious before a game we needed to win.

“The game was exactly how I thought it would be and if you watch the one back from the end of April it was exactly the same. They are a team who are never out of it, they draw you in and turn it into a basketball game, but they give up chances and well as create them. We wanted to go punch for punch and see if we could out-score them, and today we managed to do that.”

Evatt reverted to the 3-5-2 system he used last season and installed George Thomason as the new captain, taking over from Ricardo Santos.

The ‘back to basics’ approach worked well as Josh Sheehan put his side ahead with an early free-kick, Charles then adding three goals – two from the spot – before half time.

Reading didn’t buckle entirely and brought themselves back within two with their own penalty early in the second half, but Kyle Dempsey then made the points safe with a header.

Reflecting on his decision to change formation, Evatt said: “We all have to take collective responsibility – but as manager I’ll always take responsibility – we tried to fix something that wasn’t fundamentally broken, and that’s an honest appraisal of where we are. Going back to last season there was a lot to like about our business. We tried to amend and change when it wasn’t necessary.

“Today the players were back with something they had been coached to do for a number of years and comfortable doing. That was there for all to see and we will get better.

“The enjoyment will come back once we get into a rhythm again. Just as defeats don’t mean we’re the worst team in the world, a win doesn’t mean we are back to where we were again.

“We stay humble and grounded, but know there is hard work to go. It’s great scoring five goals and creating again and looking like we can score at any point but there is more we can do to get better.”

Wanderers go to Arsenal on Wednesday night in the Carabao Cup but Evatt believes the bigger game may be a few days later at Crawley.

“It makes Arsenal slightly more enjoyable,” he added. “Wednesday is a very difficult game and we have very little hope but where there is hope we’ll give it our best shot. The most important thing is to enjoy today and get used to that winning feeling again.

“We have an Arsenal game to prepare for but then there is another huge one against Crawley.”

Click here to read article