Ian Evatt says Eoin Toal is growing as a leader after the defender’s return to action in the 2-0 win against Fleetwood.

Toal hadn’t featured since suffering an ankle injury against Plymouth at Wembley following a reckless challenge by Sam Cosgrove.

The defender picked up where he left off against the Cod Army, helping the Whites secure a play-off spot.

Evatt is delighted to have Toal back available and hailed his players for their impressive defensive figures this term.

“He has just developed and blossomed into a really important player for us,” said the Bolton boss.

“His leadership qualities have come to the fore - you can hear him shouting good information but also motivating. And just the way he defends, his athleticism really helps us.

“It is great to have him back but as I said, MJ (Williams) has been outstanding in that role. George Johnston and Geth (Jones) are always consistent and I always know what I am getting from those two.

“As a team we defend really well. To concede 34 goals in 45 games is an exceptional record, I don’t think enough is made of that really.

“Obviously, we want to score more goals but we have missed loads of chances. I believe that given the consistency of making those chances, we will take them.

“We took them (against Fleetwood) and we will move on to next Sunday and then the big games in the play-offs.”

Evatt was delighted with his side’s response to Tuesday night’s defeat against Accrington and is relishing the task ahead in the play-offs.

“We have a huge amount of character and resilience in the group,” he added. “I had no doubt that following Tuesday, we would react and respond.

“I still maintain that performance-wise, there wasn’t a great deal wrong on Tuesday. We created a hell of a lot of chances and completely dominated and controlled the game. We got done by a sucker punch, which can sometimes happen in football.

“It is not easy to win football matches, especially when there is pressure. To win consistently at this level of football is challenging and we have managed to find a way to do it.

“It is a brilliant day for us. It is great we can take a sigh of relief and reset. But there is still loads more to come from this group of players and I am really excited for the next few weeks.”

Wanderers finished ninth in League One last term, and the boss is pleased they have continued to move in the right direction. 

“We are always fighting against history really because the history of this club is huge,” he said. “Not so many years ago we were a Premier League team!

“But if you look at our squad of players and where they have come from, we have signed players from Newport, Rochdale.

“It’s not a team of misfits necessarily but a team that has been built with sustainability and finance in mind.

“We are really proud of what we have achieved. We have progressed and I still believe that those players have a lot more to come.

“They are still very much in the development phase and they are still learning about each other, especially the January signings.”