Bolton Wanderers' in-form strikers primed for Carlisle visit

Dion Charles and Victor Adeboyejo have contributed 12 league goals between them this season – 13 in all competitions – making them the division’s in-form partnership at present.

Although Dan Nlundulu has started the last two games against Port Vale and Stevenage, all signs point to Adeboyejo returning to the starting line-up again now that a minor knee injury has settled.

Ian Evatt is delighted with the way Charles and Adeboyejo’s rapport has improved since last season, when the pair started just seven games together. During that time, Adeboyejo scored twice but Charles – who netted 23 for club and country over the whole campaign – strangely drew a blank.

The connection would appear to have strengthened over the summer, which has left Nlundulu, Jon Dadi Bodvarsson and Cameron Jerome waiting in the wings for their chance.

Evatt insists that all his strikers will play an important role this season and has been delighted with what he has seen over the first 10 games.

“As a front two, Dion and Victor have got all bases covered,” he said. “I think they are a really good partnership.

“We have three other forward who, at the moment, are having to play second fiddle to those two, but provided they keep producing the goods then it means they will have to wait for those opportunities.

“All three of them know that chance is around the corner. They got time on Saturday and again on Tuesday, and as a striking group I am really pleased with them all.

“They all offer something different and I know it is hard for them to just go in and pick up where they have left off, or where we think they should be. That it a challenging thing to do and maybe we need to be a bit more patient to allow them to get there.

“But Victor and Dion have been a real threat and, fingers crossed, they can be one again on Saturday.”

Dion Charles lends Victor Adeboyejo a hand - the front pair have been productive for Bolton this season (Image: camerasport)

Carlisle come to the Toughsheet Stadium with just one win from their first 11 outings after promotion from League Two.

Evatt maintains that Paul Simpson’s side are arguably worth more, given the quality of their performances, and with more than 4,000 away supporters due to travel south for their first-ever visit to the stadium outside pandemic restrictions, the Bolton boss predicts a close game.

“We know it will be difficult and they will try and keep things tight,” he said.

“They have an amazing away following, which will generate a really good atmosphere, but we have to make sure we embrace that and be the best version of ourselves.

“We want to freshen the players up and make sure we are energetic, because we are at our best when we play front-foot football.

“Around the box we know there is going to be limited space but we need to be tight with our connections, tight with the passing detail, and hopefully be creative enough to get opportunities to win the game.

“We have to find a way of getting three points, I want us to play to the best of our abilities because when we do that, we are a difficult team to stop, but we can win in different ways.”

Wanderers’ midweek win against Stevenage was helped by a couple of goals which came indirectly from set plays.

A weakness had been identified in the opposition’s man-for-man marking, which was exploited on three occasions – twice for Jack Iredale and once for Kyle Dempsey. That led to a first-half penalty for Charles and Iredale’s well-taken volley after the break.

Evatt is pleased to see an upturn in the quality of attacking set pieces, which had been widely viewed as a weakness earlier in his tenure.

He said: “It is really important as a football team, and as a football department – and this is my fourth year in charge of that now – that you see improvement. I think that is another area we can all agree we have improved upon.

“We are being more creative from set plays, we are scoring more goals from set plays, and that is another string to our bow and a way to win football matches.

“Scoring two off the back of set plays on Tuesday night was a very pleasing thing.”