Bolton Wanderers vs Barnsley

ONE PROMOTION ACHIEVED, A TOP-SIX FINISH SECURED IN LEAGUE
ONE AND A FIRST KNOCK-OUT TROPHY WON FOR 34 YEARS. BUT – AS
WANDERERS USED TO SAY PRE-MATCH – FOR MANAGER IAN EVATT
‘THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING’.
In less than three years as boss,
Evatt has taken the Whites from
the struggles of League Two
to a shot at promotion to the
Championship via a cup success
at Wembley.
And the next leg of that journey
comes today in Evatt’s first home
game since signing a new longterm
contract – a decision he
described as one of the easiest
he’s made since being handed
the reigns following successive
relegations for the Whites in a
pivotal summer of 2020.
“We spoke at great length about
our aims and ambitions when
I first joined and they haven’t
been achieved yet and they
haven’t changed,” said Evatt, who
describes an initial 30-minute
conversation with Chairman Sharon
Brittan as the clincher in his taking
on the task of reviving Wanderers’
fortunes in tandem with the club’s
ownership group.
“We’re on a journey. I really enjoy
working with the people I’m
working with and the group of
investors, Sharon and the Board,
who are all brilliant people. We
have a fantastic relationship to
carry this club forward with. That’s
why I committed my future here.
“We know what we’ve got here
and we’re nowhere near where
we want to be. We’ve kind of only
just begun. We’re just scratching
the surface now and there’s huge
amounts of progression to come.”
It hasn’t always been plain-sailing,
with Evatt’s first few months
following his arrival from Barrow
– following another promotion
success – a testing time as he
re-built the team and fostered a
winning habit.
“We’ve had some rough times
during my three years. I’ve always
felt supported and never felt
anything different to that,” he
admitted.
Wanderers have barely looked
back, though, since a superb run
www.bwfc.co.uk
The Wanderer | 13