'As tough as it gets': Bolton Wanderers boss admits promotion mountain to climb as Portsmouth rivals close gap at top

Bolton came from behind at Cambridge to close the gap on Pompey at the League One.

But boss Ian Evatt admitted his side’s run-in is ‘as tough as it gets’, as they take on a hectic fixture schedule.

Wanderers were given a scare by Neil Harris’ side, as Sullay Kaikai’s eighth-minute looped in off defender Eoin Toal in the eventual 2-1 win.

After a strong U’s start, Bolton dominated the game, however, and turned things around with a scrappy Paris Maghoma goal from a corner and a very impressive Carlos Mendes Gomes volley.

Cambridge had a golden opportunity to snare a point late on, however, when the ball was turned over as they attempted to play out from goal kick but James Brophy and Jack Lankester failed to capitalise.

The win closes sees Bolton close the gap on Pompey to six points, as they won one of their games in hand. They still need to fit in another two games on top of the Blues, amid a frantic 14-game schedule to end the campaign.

Evatt admitted that’s bringing its challenges, as he shuffled his back for the Abbey Stadium win.

He told the Bolton News: ‘There was a lot of quality in there. It was a difficult surface and they ask a lot of questions.

‘The goal was disappointing and it was a huge deflection, which there is not a lot we could do about that. But there was something we could do about how it got there.

‘We gave ourselves a mountain to climb but we’d got into some really good areas first half but the last decision, final pass, wasn’t there. We asked the player to ramp it up a bit more in the second half and they did it.

‘We saw the importance of set piece goals again, and then there was a real moment of quality which won us the game.

‘I thought we did okay first half, it was just our end bit. But we did play with a better intensity second half in the final third. Not in the build, because I thought that was good, but when we got to the final third we started to make better decisions, more dynamic movement, and we saw it with the second goal.

‘These boys, the resilience, the character they show on a daily basis, I am incredibly proud of them. Being at the top end of divisions is incredibly challenging and high pressure, especially with the high expectations we are carrying. They keep finding a way.

‘We needed to make a few changes to freshen it up and everyone has got to stay ready. This is tough, as tough as it gets for us. We have 14 games left. Is that right? They all seem to merge into one at the minute. But with 14 left we just have to reset and prepare for Blackpool away, which is a tough ask.’