Ian Evatt is thinking about changing things up for the FA Cup second round, and Randell Williams and Zac Ashworth are back in the mix for Wanderers.
Williams has been cleared to play this weekend after recovering sufficiently from a bout of tendonitis that kept him out of games against Exeter City and Oxford United.
Ashworth has overcome a calf issue that had kept him out of action for the club and Wales Under-21s for several weeks. His last game was as a substitute in the 3-1 home loss against Carlisle United on October 7.
He played for over an hour in Tuesday’s 2-2 friendly draw between the B Team and Notts County and was unharmed.
Evatt wants to give some of the players who haven’t been in the starting lineup recently a chance to prove themselves. This could mean that players like Will Forrester, Dan Nlundulu, Jon Dadi Bodvarsson, Aaron Morley, and Carlos Mendes Gomes start.
Joel Coleman might even have to play goalkeeping instead of Nathan Baxter as the team aims for a record-tying eighth straight clean sheet across all competitions.
When asked if Williams might return to play against Harrogate, the Bolton manager replied, “Quite possibly.”
“He and Zac should both be available, which expands our squad and our options.”
They are a good group, and I am quite happy with the depth we currently have.
We may be able to make some changes over the weekend. There are players who have been waiting for their opportunity to show me what they can do by coming off the bench. We do have the chance to rotate a little because of this.
The fact that Wanderers’ efforts at Kassam Stadium only resulted in a point on Tuesday night left them feeling a little let down, but Evatt believes the response demonstrated how competitive his team has grown.
Bolton dominated the game after the break, scoring ten goals in quick succession after the first half saw them fail to muster a single shot on goal. However, they failed to score a goal for the first time since losing to Wigan Athletic at home in August.
They are extremely disappointed, but that is the norm and calibre that we have established within the team, so it is all right, Evatt continued.
“In that regard, it wasn’t our night; there were ricochets, and individuals weren’t
They are a possession-based football team, and while I haven’t looked at many of the numbers, I’m confident that we dominated most of the possession.
The opportunities we generated in the second half are now inevitable. We are evolving into the kind of team that consistently probes and poses questions to the opposition.
We ought to have seized the opportunity when they became tired, and I believe Oxford eventually became tired due to their level of focus and effort. We didn’t, but that’s a really good point, so we’ll disregard it.
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