Bolton Wanderers boss Ian Evatt wants his players to be fully focused on Saturday’s FA Cup matchup with Harrogate Town rather than games further down the line, in an interview with The Bolton News.
Evatt’s side are currently top of the League One table, but take part in two cup competitions before resuming their league campaign. They’ll go into the matchup with Harrogate with plenty of confidence following a nine match unbeaten run in all completions, but the manager has asked for his players to focus on the task at hand and take each game as it comes.
This is owing in part to Bolton’s top-of-the-table clash with Portsmouth on December 11th, a game that might substantially alter the League One rankings. That game will be played in front of the cameras and is perhaps Bolton’s most difficult challenge to date, but they still have two games left before heading to Fratton Park.
Following Saturday’s game against Harrogate, Evatt’s men will host Port Vale in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy at the Macron Stadium. Bolton now possess the trophy after defeating Plymouth Argyle 4-0 in the final last season, and the boss is hoping for more success in the competition.
By no means will we see two completely different squads in their fixtures with Harrogate and Port Vale, but changes are expected. Nonetheless Bolton certainly have the depth in the squad where some players can be rested and that is likely in at least one of the cup competitions ahead of their match with Portsmouth.
However Evatt isn’t looking that far ahead and wants to take each game as it comes, speaking to The Bolton News, the manager said:
“Portsmouth isn’t there yet, our full focus is on Harrogate,”
“That is the respect we are giving them, and they full deserve that respect.
“Our full focus is on Saturday. We have to be like that, it has to be full tilt, laser focus. We’re not good enough to be able to take our foot off the gas, and that is the message we have given to the players. It is the line of confidence and complacency – we have to be on the right side.
Complacency is no stranger in the FA Cup and we often see some upsets as a result, Evatt does not seem to want to be in that position though, and wants to give supporters a cup run.
“We always remember that this game is nothing without the supporters, so hopefully we can give them a cup run, a big day out in the third round maybe, somewhere they can go and be proud of the club again.
“First of all, though, we need to make sure that our performance levels are spot on against Harrogate because we let that drop, we open up the door for them to get a result.
“I was pleased to get my first FA Cup win this season but now I’d really like to double the tally.”
Evatt’s thoughts on complacency encapsulate it wonderfully. Although promotion is the club’s ultimate goal this season, they would prefer to advance further in cup competitions to assist enhance finances.
The Portsmouth game is a huge one, and it’s no doubt on the players’ minds. If they can go to the next round of both the FA Cup and the Bristol Street Motors Trophy, we should expect a confident side for their match against Portsmouth. However, losing one or both cup ties could be devastating to the players’ confidence, and Evatt will need to make the right selections to maintain both the unbeaten streak and confidence.
Leave a Reply