IAN Evatt hopes rising levels of Covid infections among clubs in the EFL will not mean a return to behind-closed-doors football.

The Wanderers boss and 17 other staff and players at the club have recently tested positive for the virus, forcing the cancellation of the Boxing Day clash with Morecambe and the previous home game against Wycombe Wanderers.

The training ground at Lostock will be reopened today to allow players who tested negative and those who completed their self-isolation to start preparations for a game at Burton Albion on Wednesday night.

Clubs in Wales have seen stadia closed to fans over the festive period and those in Scotland have been restricted to attendances of just 500.

That is not the case at present in the Premier League and EFL, and even though Evatt has expressed his concerns at a “minority” of Bolton supporters after a recent defeat at Accrington Stanley, he admits he would hate to see a return to empty stands.

“For me, football is nothing without its fans,” he told The Bolton News. “Even when I am getting stick, there is a little bit of me that appreciates it because it is part of the game.

“Providing that doesn’t become personal and overstep the mark, I’m all for being criticised when we deserve it - especially constructive criticism.

“We’re doing the best we can to make sure we get the right results, and our fans want the same thing.

“I must stress again that my remarks after the Accrington game weren’t around the whole fan base.

“Our fans are fantastic, our support is fantastic. The atmosphere we created at Accrington was fantastic. There was a small minority that overstepped the mark.”

Explaining his comments in the light of defeat at the Wham Stadium on December 11, Evatt said he had felt compelled to protect some of the younger players in his team from the worst of the abuse.

“I can take it – I have had it all my life, all my career,” he said. “I was more talking about the younger players – to get the best out of those in the situation we are in, we have to be careful with what we say.

“People are vulnerable these days. But football is nothing without supporters – the game needs its fans, it needs the atmosphere.

“For me, we can’t go back to a situation where it’s behind closed doors again.

“We have to find a way to pull through this together and make sure that we maintain fans inside stadiums supporting their clubs.”