“PRESSURE is a privilege. We have earned the right to be under pressure,” Ian Evatt said earlier this week in an interview with BBC Radio Manchester ahead of the start of the League One season.

It would be fair to say that the upcoming campaign has placed Bolton firmly as promotion contenders. We are not just talking play-offs, with the automatic places representing a very realistic possibility. The bookies are saying it, the fans are almost expecting it, yet Evatt is still trying to temper expectations, at least on the surface.

“I think there is a huge difference between ambition and entitlement,” Evatt continued. “We have huge ambitions this season and we want to obviously achieve the most we can.

“Expectations are always there, but what I will say is I think we have earned that expectation by the way we have gone about our business in the last three or four years.”

Business has certainly picked up, with progress made on the pitch each year under Evatt’s stewardship alongside the difference in quality of signings made from the transfer market.

Combine that with a division that is very much for the taking, mainly due to some of the big hitters from last season gaining promotion and it is obvious why fans are getting slightly giddy.

Arguments can be made that the squad is not necessarily better than last year, or that it has not improved a lot. Putting that to one side, it is also fair to say it is not always the case of the squad being better, as much as it is maintaining continuity.

My point is that the bulk of this squad has potential to grow, with the majority of players finding themselves at points of their career where they can continue to get better.

That continuity with the squad goes under the radar sometimes, but by keeping the core of a team together that finished in the playoffs and won a trophy, this allows Evatt to keep the same principles in place tactically whilst avoiding the need to completely overhaul his team.

Critics could point to the losses of James Trafford and Conor Bradley, state that this could set Bolton back and they simply will not be as good as they were last year. On the other hand, you could argue that their replacements in Nathan Baxter and Joshua Dacres-Cogley may just step in without missing a beat.

One area I believe we are better this year is our flexibility, with this squad built in a way to handle different formations or asks of the manager if need be. Take the ability of Carlos Mendes Gomes to play in multiple positions or the loan signing of Paris Maghoma, who could be our best bit of business. An option in the midfield that has legs, can cover box to box and drives forward with the ball - we simply did not have that type of player last season.

So, as we kick off a new campaign there are the familiar feelings of nerves, of excitement and of anticipation. Those feelings let us know that we have our Saturdays back and normality has resumed.

Pressure may be a privilege but as Evatt eluded to, this Bolton team have earned that right. Embrace being one of the top dogs, because this may just be our year.

The Bolton News: Pitchside towels have been banned by the EFL

SUPPORTERS with weak bladders watch out, this is going to be a long old season – quite literally!

With the EFL and referees hell-bent on cracking down on timewasting, we face the prospect of 10-plus minutes being added on in each half. And at 20 minutes a game, that makes more than 15 hours more football to watch this season!

It should be good news for Bolton on the pitch, as we do seem to score more of our goals when people like me are thinking about making a dash for the car park to beat the queues.

The way Ian Evatt sets his side up to play they wear teams down and tire them out, so the later a game goes on, the more mistakes are made. That is the theory at least.

For fans who snuck a second pint down their neck in the concourse before kick-off, though, those extra 10 first-half minutes might be an uncomfortable experience, especially if you are getting to my age.

It is a shame they have done away with pitch-side towels, as one of the funniest things I have seen in ages at the Toughsheet – as I now vow to call it – is Bolton fans teasing Barnsley’s throw-in taker when they pinched his lovely Egyptian cotton effort last season. I think we should offer an olive branch and bring him a couple of spare ones from the airing cupboard when the Tykes visit in February. And whoever tucked a red towel under the windscreen wiper of the Barnsley team bus deserves a medal, or at least a free pint in the Fan Zone.

Bolton are no saints. I have seen them waste plenty of time down the years and can name a few players who have ‘bought’ more free kicks than they earned. Every club has them.

I think the rule changes should ensure we avoid too many games like the ones against Burton, where I think we would still be playing now if they had added on the time they should have done.

I personally can’t wait for the start of the season and I will be there once again with hope in my heart and a couple of pints of lager in my tummy when they kick off against Lincoln. I just hope the queue for the loo at half time isn’t too severe!