MJ Williams is turning his defensive secondment into a proper Italian job!

The midfielder-turned-centre-half helped Wanderers record a 21st clean sheet of the season in their 1-0 win against Shrewsbury Town.

Though drafted into the defence as emergency cover for the injured Ricardo Santos and Eoin Toal, Williams has proven a reliable replacement. And Ian Evatt revealed he is even taking inspiration from one of the very best.

“He wants to call himself Maldini but we’re against that!” he laughed.

“It has been good to see him progress in that position. He is really good with the ball, obviously, he is a central midfield player. He gives us a different dynamic.

“They have really stood up to be counted. I thought MJ and the two lads either side were outstanding. It was a really good performance.

“He (MJ) is getting more comfortable and confident every game playing in that role. He has done really well.”

Wanderers have moved into fifth spot and are guaranteed to clinch a place in the play-offs if they take a minimum of five points from their three remaining games.

Accrington Stanley come to the University of Bolton Stadium on Tuesday night and with two of his injured centre-halves now on the comeback trail, Evatt is feeling upbeat.

“I’m feeling good, pretty confident, and I believe in the players, I really do,” he said.

“What we have been through, the adversity with injuries, the lads who have stepped up have been fantastic. We have a squad of players there – even the ones on the bench – who are itching to perform, and they are having to be patient. But they are good players and I believe in them.

“We have some returning – Eoin is back on the grass and almost there, Rico is getting there but on grass, Kieran is back as well.

“We’re in a pretty good place but there is no complacency at all. This has gone and we move on to Tuesday and a big game.”

Nerves were evident throughout the first 45 minutes and in pockets during the second half as Wanderers struggled to build an unassailable lead.

Evatt insists that the hard work was done before the interval, when Bolton controlled more than 70 per cent of possession. Though there were calls for his players to cross the ball from wide areas, the Whites boss maintains it would have been counter-productive.

“I don’t expect the fans to understand all the detail and technical philosophy of what we are trying to do – but what I will say is that their back four, five, back 10, are all pretty big,” he said.

“If we cross from what I call ‘Zone One’ which is the touchline, or wide, then they are going to win those duels and set off on a counter attack, which is going to cause us problems.

“We have to work the ball side-to-side and I guess at times it can be like pulling teeth for the fans at times but what we are doing is fatiguing the opposition with an eye on later in the game. In the second half they can’t cover the spaces as quickly and there isn’t anyone I have come across that can keep running forever.

“So, when the spaces start arriving, we can punish them, and we did that in the second half.”