IAN Evatt didn’t sugar coat his feelings after Wanderers’ winning run ended abruptly at Cheltenham Town.

The Whites had made their best start to a season since the turn of the millennium but were thoroughly put in their place by a high-tempo, no-nonsense Robins side.

Ryan Broom scored the decisive goal three minutes from full time, James Trafford having earlier kept Bolton in the game with a stunning save from Lewis Freestone.

And Evatt admits his side did not deserve anything other than a defeat at Whaddon Road, having struggled to get a foothold in the game all night.

“It was poor,” the manager said. “We got exactly what we deserved, we just weren’t good enough in every department from minute one to the last minute. We rode our luck, didn’t win first contact, second contact, second balls, the basics of football and the stuff we had done well of late, it just didn’t exist tonight.

“You can’t come to this place and think it is going to be easy. You can think we can just turn up our way and they are going to accept it.

“There are ways to get beat and we are allowed to lose games. But it is the way that we lose them – and that really hurts.”

Evatt reasoned that only one moment had legitimately gone against Wanderers in 90 minutes, and that was when Dion Charles was sent tumbling in the area by Lewis Freestone after just 45 seconds only for referee Gavin Ward to wave away appeals.

“We had one blatant penalty ignored,” he said. “And if it had been 30 minutes into the game it probably would have been given.

“It shouldn’t matter what stage of the game it is, even the fourth official couldn’t believe it, and Wade (Elliott) has also said the same. But let’s not paper over the cracks, we were fairly beaten tonight and just not good enough. We didn’t deserve anything.”

Wanderers return to Gloucestershire on Saturday to face Forest Green Rovers, with Evatt hoping to see a quick turnaround in fortunes.

“We have to get a reaction now. We have had a good start to the season but in this league and in football in general, things can change really quickly.

“We have to have a strong reaction to that on Saturday now. It isn’t acceptable. You can have an off-day but the manner in which we lost the game will not be accepted. They know, and they have to be better.”