WANDERERS may need to sharpen up in front of goal – but Ian Evatt is confident his strikers have the matter in hand.

Bolton are ranked 14th out of 24 teams in League One on chance conversion, i.e. the number of shots that end up in the back of the net.

According to Opta, 10.29 per cent of the Whites’ 175 attempts so far this season have affected the scoreboard.

Klaidi Lolos eventually provided a winning goal in stoppage time against Peterborough United on Saturday with his team’s 11th shot on target of the afternoon. But Evatt hasn’t felt the need to escalate the situation with his players.

“I don’t think I need to say anything, I think they know their responsibilities,” he told The Bolton News. “After the game at Birmingham last Tuesday, the first thing John McAtee said was ‘that’s on me, I apologise, it’s a chance I should have taken.’

“He took responsibility and ownership for that, which is refreshing. It doesn’t happen that often.

“We know he didn’t mean to miss the chance but it is also great to have some accountability in the camp. I think it is important.

“It will be the same on Saturday, the lads will be disappointed we haven’t taken some of those chances but it is extremely positive that we are creating that much too.

“I firmly believe that with the standard of players we have got, if we continue to create the number of chances we are doing at the moment, they will score goals.

“On the back of that, if we can continue to keep clean sheets, it bodes well.”

Evatt is also pleased to see Luke Southwood’s improvement since arriving from Cheltenham Town in the summer, the goalkeeper having made his fourth consecutive league appearance against Posh on Saturday.

The club’s third clean sheet of the campaign was just reward for the keeper, who has taken up the number one role since Nathan Baxter’s injury against Northampton Town.

“I think Luke is getting better – he has improved and become more consistent as he gets used to what we want to do,” he said.

“He didn’t have a great deal to do on Saturday but I think for us and the type of team we are, you need to be a ‘moments’ keeper because there always are moments.

“Keeping focus and keeping concentration is a vital part of the job and he managed to do that. When he was called upon at a big moment then he made sure they didn’t score.

“I am really happy with him and he will get better and better.”