IAN Evatt is confident his tight-knit Wanderers can find results, even in the middle of an injury crisis.

The Whites head to Port Vale this weekend without five first team players and with a handful of others patched-up, looking to push back into the promotion picture in League One.

Defeat at Reading and a draw with 10 men against Peterborough have meant Bolton dropped from second to seventh in the last fortnight.

While the list of absentees and minor ailments has lengthened in the last few games, Evatt says he hopes to use the hardship to his advantage.

“We are absolutely trying to draw strength, almost a siege mentality, because this is us, this is what we have got,” he told The Bolton News. “I don’t think people are expecting the best from us right now but what we are trying to do here is creating a team that can deal with adversity and negativity and come out the other side of it.

“This group of players is the most together I have had since I have been a manager. It starts from the top and it is palpable, you can feel it.

“I am immensely proud of what they are doing and I am looking forward to seeing where this journey ends up.”

Evatt encountered problems getting the right blend of players in his dressing room early in his tenure and has called this season for there to be “more leaders and fewer followers” in the group.

But he feels the mix of players now at his disposal is now capable of handling the pressure of competing at the top end of the table.

“It hasn’t been the easiest thing in the world and it has obviously been part of our recruitment process. Sometimes the best players and the best people don’t go hand in hand,” he said.

“This year we have worked immensely hard to try and make that happen. Sharon Brittan in in her fifth year, we’re in our fourth, and when you keep reinforcing the message and creating a culture that everyone is proud of, then everyone eventually buys into it. I think that is what we are seeing now.

“I am proud of the players and the people they are becoming. Their work ethic is second to none. We want to go and show everyone in this division what we are capable of, and that starts on Saturday.”

There will be a test of resolve on Saturday as Bolton travel to Vale Park, a ground on which they have an excellent recent record, but one which can also provide a hostile atmosphere.

“I have never been there where the atmosphere has not been intimidating and intense, you can smell aggression in the air, it’s just that type of place,” Evatt added.

“Their fans are extremely unwelcoming, to say the least, and they back their team, which will help any home team.

“We won’t be surprised by any of that.”