WANDERERS’ options for this weekend’s FA Cup clash have been reduced by illness – but Ian Evatt is confident the squad will be on message against Solihull Moors.
The Bolton manager said in a statement on Thursday afternoon that a couple of his players have been sick this week, but he has no new injuries and would welcome Carlos Mendes Gomes back for his first appearance since September 5.
With his ongoing recuperation from a calf strain, Joel Coleman is out, while George Johnston is still recovering from knee surgery, Zac Ashworth remains a doubt.
But in order to win the FA Cup for the first time as a manager, Evatt is thinking about making some adjustments with an eye towards Tuesday night’s trip to Shrewsbury Town.
“Over the past few days, a few of us in camp have been affected by a small illness,” he stated. However, we have a really talented group of players.
“Carlos is fully recovered and ready to play on Saturday. It’s encouraging to see our team is healthy and motivated to keep going.”
Although Wanderers are strong favourites going into the match, Evatt, who has ties in the Midlands and was the manager of Barrow, is not undervaluing the National League team.
“With four games left before the international window, it’s going to be a really tough month,” he stated. “We have already won three straight games, but in order to get better, we had to start over.
It takes a long time to gain confidence in football, so when you are on a roll, you have to work extremely hard to maintain it it can go overnight.
We want to maintain a high profile because we understand how important this game is to both them and Solihull. We have viewed three or four of their most recent games, and they exhibit some impressive moves that, in my opinion, will put us to the test.
They are a terrific club and always have been. They have solid funding, a good owner who I know was at Oxford, and I hear positive things about the way he manages the business.
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