Ian Evatt is eager to make up for last season’s trip to Fleetwood – and believes his side are showing signs if improvement on the road.

Wanderers fell to a convincing 3-0 defeat in torrential conditions at the Highbury Stadium, finishing the game with 10 men after Ricardo Santos was sent off.

But Evatt has been encouraged by recent away showings and is hopeful for a more enjoyable experience this time around.

Speaking on a wet afternoon in Horwich, he said: “This weather kind of brings it back! Let’s hope the forecast is better for Saturday.

“It’s another one of those games that we need to improve on from last year.

“I’ve seen the signs that we are getting better at managing these games - the second half against Accrington definitely and versus Cambridge, we managed the game extremely well.”

He added: “They are a difficult team to play against and certainly a difficult team to beat. They have only lost four games all season and they have drawn a lot.

“We know it is going to be a challenging game. They are always good at home so we need to make sure we play at the levels I know we can get to.”

Wanderers had 57 per cent of possession at Cambridge, and Evatt is committed to maintaining their identity despite the challenges of playing away from home.

The manager explained: “If I don’t truly believe in it and am really quick to change, then how am I going to get anyone else to believe in it?

“That method has had a lot of success in the four years I’ve been a manager. We’re going to stick to it.

“We just need to be better with what we do in and out of possession, keep working hard, keep striving for improvement, stay hungry, and I’m seeing improvements.

“I genuinely believe that we’re probably eight points short from where we should be with the chances we’ve missed and the games that we’ve had, but I guess there are many teams who can say that.”

Kyle Dempsey is suspended following his red card at the Abbey Stadium, but MJ Williams is back available for the Whites.

Evatt added: “Obviously, we lost Demps last week. I think the team got more cards than Clintons, so it is frustrating.

“But again we have got a good enough squad to manage the loss of Demps. I thought he was excellent actually, I thought he played really well.

“But there lies an opportunity for someone else to stake a claim and keep the shirt.”