Wanderers’ cup defeat against Walsall disappointed Ian Evatt, but he insists that the League One promotion campaign must take precedence.
Josh Sheehan’s free kick in the second half appeared to have given the Whites a strong start against their League Two rivals after they made five changes at the Bescot Stadium.
Four minutes later, though, bad defence let former Bolton defender Liam Gordon equalise, and Walsall then forced a victory through Jamie Jellis in the last minute.
“We were great for the first half an hour, but I think they made it hard for us in the second half,” Evatt remarked.
We took a chance on Tuesday, but not today. We ought to have disappeared.
They are a successful team with a unique style of play that is straightforward and full of forward runners, somewhat reminiscent of Stevenage. And after gaining the lead, we gave up from a long ball by failing to match up and track players, allowing them to move freely in the box. We just did not handle it well enough, and we failed to do the fundamentals.
“It is upsetting and irritating that they outrun us to get to the ball first after the second ball, a turnover, and a lengthy counterattack. The fact that there are no more injuries today, however, is the biggest plus since we just cannot afford to lose any more.
We couldn’t risk Rico, so we had to let him play. The front three, who had been performing well in the league, had to take a break. Although I’m unhappy, we must now focus on the truly important game that is coming up on Saturday.
Before the game, Evatt had said that he would be making changes. He rested center-half Ricardo Santos and added Scott Arfield, Klaidi Lolos, Dion Charles, Randall Williams, and Will Forrester back into the lineup.
However, he maintains that altering the squad was a necessary evil because eight senior players are now out for the pivotal match against Stockport County next weekend.
“It’s not about blaming the people who entered,” he stated. When we win, we all celebrate together, and when we lose, we all mourn together.
“We’ve tried our hardest. Since the league is our top priority, I could have played more changes and more of the younger players.
“I thought the supporters were amazing, especially in the second half, but we gave up on the break just as we were regaining our composure and pushing forward.
Evatt is certain there as well Following the cup exit, there won’t be any impact on league performance.
He declared, “These cup games are games in isolation.” We have improved our rhythm and form in the league, and we made some adjustments today to attempt to rest and recuperate some of the key players who are suffering from an injury issue.
“We simply know that we have bodies coming back that can make us tremendously stronger if we can win the game on Saturday.”
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