Bolton Wanderers' wobble comes at a bad time for Ian Evatt

Just when the Bolton boss looked like he was making some forward progress, results against Shrewsbury Town in League One and Aston Villa’s Under-21s in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy have felt like slow shuffles in the opposite direction.

Though the Whites remain undefeated – in 90 minutes, at least – since that notable flashpoint against Huddersfield Town, issues in both games prior to the international break have reignited conversations he would have hoped had been left behind.

Wanderers have won just one of seven home games in regulation time and will return a week on Saturday to host Burton Albion, who sit second bottom of the table. Evatt would have hoped to stoke confidence ahead of that fixture with another clear week on the training ground but instead will be watching the likes of Dion Charles, Eoin Toal and Josh Sheehan, hoping they not only stay fit but also return home in a positive frame of mind.

Nobody won more games than Bolton at home in League One last season, yet their form this year has been at best unconvincing.

It took penalties to beat Mansfield Town in the League Cup and Phil Parkinson’s return with Wrexham was the first sign that Bolton’s attacking options were not yet clicking.

Defeats against Exeter City and Huddersfield Town rang alarm bells and pushed Evatt into arguably the most awkward position in his four years in charge of the club.

Since then, results have improved. The win against Reading was not as convincing as the 5-2 scoreline might suggest but definitely marked a turn for the better. And after two league wins on the road, confidence looked like it had returned wholesale to the group.

But what happened at the weekend, Bolton’s Jekyll and Hyde display against Shrewsbury being capped by an ill-advised post-match clash between the manager and the opposition captain, has sent out some destabilising vibes.

Aston Villa U21s' Oliwier Zych catches under pressure from Bolton Wanderers' John McAtee (Image: CameraSport - Alex Dodd)

It would be easy to pass off the midweek draw against Villa, and the consequent penalty shoot-out defeat, as an insignificance. The competition barely registers on the club’s scale of importance this season and that message won’t have escaped the attention of the players who were named in a strong starting line-up at the Toughsheet.

The fans do not appear especially concerned about progress in the Trophy, either, with just over 1,773 turning out on Tuesday, the lowest gate for almost exactly eight years.

The sub-par performance of several senior stars, however, was not appreciated. Evatt was frank in his assessment that some had “let themselves down” and in his view that none had done enough to warrant their inclusion in his thinking for a starting spot against Burton in just over a week’s time.

Questions are once again being asked about the mentality of a team which as lacked attacking composure in their last two games, not to mention defensive concentration.

Players like Gethin Jones, Carlos Mendes Gomes, Will Forrester, Jordi Osei-Tutu and Nathan Baxter should be close to a return from injury when the League One schedule resumes, which may allow Evatt more selection flexibility and some respite, but there is a feeling that some players involved in the Villa game may now have lost some significant ground.

Wanderers sit 13th and could by winning their game in hand bring themselves to within four points of Wrexham, who currently sit in second place. That is at least the positive scenario the club are clinging on to as they build towards a testing late October and November run.

Four teams currently placed above the Whites in the table - Birmingham City, Peterborough United, Stevenage and Stockport County - all lie in wait before the final Trophy group game against Fleetwood, a run which will also take the club past the quarter-way marker in the season.

Evatt might have hoped to enter the break with a more positive spring in his step, or even some closer competition in certain areas of his squad. Depending on the severity of the FA’s disciplinary committee, he may not even be able to directly influence some or all of these key fixtures from the touchline.

Wanderers are continuing to do things the hard way, and the manager may do well to recharge his own batteries over the next few days before hitting another challenge head on.