Why John McAtee had to mend bridges at Bolton Wanderers

Wearing the red shirt of Barnsley last season, the no-nonsense striker managed to get under the skin of several Bolton players as the two Roses rivals faced each other twice in the league and twice in the play-offs.

He even managed to rub Ian Evatt up the wrong way – which made the manager’s summer-long pursuit to sign the 25-year-old McAtee from Luton Town all the more intriguing.

Sunday’s opponents Wrexham were also very keen. Phil Parkinson had hoped the temptation of his exciting Hollywood-funded project in North Wales would tip the scales in his favour.

But for a lad brought up in Walkden in a family steeped in local sporting tradition, Bolton proved an offer that could not be refused, even if it meant a few awkward reintroductions on the training ground.

“We worked very hard to get that deal over the line,” Evatt told The Bolton News. “We had a few things in our favour – the fact his family are very local, he is very local, his parent club manager is a very good friend of mine.

“When I met with John we had some very good discussions. And, yes, last season, at the end of one of the games, we had a couple of words with each other. But we actually came away from it and admired each other more for it. He just wants to win, I just want to win.

“John will be the first to admit that on the pitch he isn’t the most loved guy by the opposition, and that was probably the case when he played against us last season.

“We joked but he said to me the first thing he’d have to do was shake a few hands when he went into the changing room. I absolutely love that, I love the fact he had to do that, and I love the fact he is now our lovable rogue.”

McAtee came off the bench last weekend at Leyton Orient to help turn the game in Wanderers’ favour, making himself an instant favourite on the terraces and ensuring his name was immediately placed in the playlist of terrace chants.

For the last few months Bolton fans have pondered what ingredients were ultimately missing from last year’s promotion push and Evatt feels McAtee’s uncompromising approach could change the long-held criticism that his team is simply ‘too nice’ at times.

“We have looked at that, and it is an accusation that has been thrown at us, and probably rightly so,” he said. “They are a great bunch of lads, they are very honest and nice people. But sometimes nice teams don’t win anything and we want to get that bit of devilment in us, staying on the right side of it of course, but we don’t want to be nice to play against.

“We want to play good football, be pleasing on the eye, but we don’t want to be soft, or nice all the time. John will definitely help with that.

“For all of that side of it, he is an excellent player as well. His moment of quality on Saturday – yes, the press was great, it was aggressive, that is one of his major strengths, but the pass to find Dion in the box was also excellent.

“The first two or three days in training I have really liked what I have seen from him. I think I’ll get him better too, I think he can get better, and that is a huge positive for us.”

Wrexham come to the Toughsheet Stadium for the first time on Sunday, hoping to build on their own victory at home to Wycombe on the opening day.

Since the club was bought by famous faces in actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mcelhenney and its fortunes charted by a wildly successful Disney Plus documentary, expectations in North Wales have gone sky high – and after back-to-back promotions, they are again among the favourites to go up this season.

Evatt has enjoyed watching their success from afar and is a fan of the way the club’s success has also radiated out into the town.

But come kick-off, only one thing will be on his mind.

“I won’t be dressed as Deadpool on the side, or anything like that,” he smiled. “It’s a great story what has happened at Wrexham, and I wish them all the best moving forwards. But we have got to take care of our own business and we are in the business of winning football matches here.

“I’m enjoying the fact that everyone is talking about the other clubs and not us.

“That is a good place to be. For us, let’s stay under the radar and improve, that is very much what I am trying to do.”