Wanderers might be without one of their chief talismans at Peterborough United tomorrow but Ian Evatt insists he still has the firepower to get a result.

Wing-back Conor Bradley will be suspended for the game at London Road, missing only his third league game this season, taking the number of first team absentees to eight.

The Liverpool loanee has been a big part of Bolton’s success this season and while his absence will mean reshuffling a winning side – potentially including a return for the fit-again Randell Williams or a first start for Luke Mbete – Evatt is confident he has enough to cope.

“It isn’t ideal – obviously we’d love him to still be with us and involved because he has excelled this season and been fantastic but I don’t think it is the worst thing for him to have a little rest, this is his first full season in men’s football, and it is intense. He can reset and finish the season strongly,” he said of Bradley.

“But as I have said before, whenever these situations arise, we have the players who can step up to the plate. It is no different on Saturday.

“The players we pick at Peterborough will need to do the job at hand to the best of their ability and if they do it, I think we can get the right result.”

Wanderers are without the suspended Bradley and Elias Kachunga, along with injured George Thomason (knee), MJ Williams (knee), Jack Iredale (knee), Jon Dadi Bodvarsson (ankle), George Johnston (ankle) and Dan Nlundulu (hamstring).

Peterborough have won their last three games since reappointing Darren Ferguson as manager for a fourth spell last month, reigniting their own chase for a play-off spot.

With eight of the top 10 teams in action against each other this weekend, however, victory at London Road would be a huge boost.

“I don’t think we could have come across them at a more difficult time,” Evatt said.

“Winning is certainly more important to them than us because we have already put ourselves in a good position with points on the board and a little bit of a cushion.

“But having said that it is almost a six-point swing and we want to go there and give it our best shot.

“There are other teams playing each other in the top six and top eight, so there’s a chance to make up some ground on the teams above too.”

Wanderers could go third with victory, depending on results elsewhere, and have not given up on the prospect of catching Plymouth Argyle or Sheffield Wednesday in the top two places with 16 games remaining.

Evatt wants nothing but focus from his players, who have taken more points in 2023 than any other team in the league.

“We are still a long way from the top two spots and I think realistically for us to get to those spots we have to win the majority of our remaining games and to do that we need to perform well week-in, week-out, but I have said all along that this group is capable of doing that,” he said.

“We know how tough it will be at Peterborough but we are looking forward to the game.

“We have to remember that we are in a good run of form too. We are playing good football and we need to go and replicate that again this weekend.”