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Wanderers will be without Ricardo Santos and Gethin Jones against Exeter this afternoon, and Ian Evatt has challenged the experienced members of the squad to step up in their absence.
Santos is still out of action after he was hospitalised with breathing problems following a viral infection.
Jones has stepped up as captain in his absence, but the defender is now also unavailable after picking up an injury against Manchester United Under-21s in the Papa Johns Trophy.
Evatt admits it is far from ideal to be without the pair but says it is an opportunity for others to show what they can do.
The Bolton boss is eager to build on Tuesday night’s victory as the Whites aim to keep climbing the League One table.
“When your captain and vice-captain are out injured, it is not ideal. But it is an opportunity for others and football always gives you an opportunity,” he said.
“People who were on the outskirts of the squad are now getting opportunities to play and show me what they can do.
“Hopefully, they will perform to the level we expect them to perform at and we can get the three points.
“We need the three points, we want to cement ourselves in that top six as soon as we possibly can and getting a result on Saturday is pretty important.”
Exeter are currently 13th in the table and enter the game on the back of a 1-1 draw against third-place Sheffield Wednesday.
The Grecians thought they had done enough to secure all three points until Callum Paterson’s equaliser in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
Gary Caldwell took charge at St James Park earlier this season following the departure of Matt Taylor, who left his position to join Championship club Rotherham.
Evatt said: “I think it will be a tough game. I have seen a fair bit of Exeter, I think they have got some good players.
“The transition from League Two to League One is a real difficult one. We experienced that last season.
“They have got some good energy in the team. Very similar to Matt Taylor’s teams in terms of high intensity, real energetic in transition, lots of forward runners.
“I know their manager (Gary Caldwell) really well, I was captain under him at Chesterfield. I envisage a difficult game but if we perform to our levels, I am hopeful we can get the three points.”
He added: “They put the ball into good areas. They have energy and speed, and we need to manage those transitions well.
“If we can manage those transitions and dominate the second balls, I think we will grab control of the game and then it is about what we do with the ball and making sure we have more consistent detail in the final third.”
Wanderers will be without Ricardo Santos and Gethin Jones against Exeter this afternoon, and Ian Evatt has challenged the experienced members of the squad to step up in their absence.
Santos is still out of action after he was hospitalised with breathing problems following a viral infection.
Jones has stepped up as captain in his absence, but the defender is now also unavailable after picking up an injury against Manchester United Under-21s in the Papa Johns Trophy.
Evatt admits it is far from ideal to be without the pair but says it is an opportunity for others to show what they can do.
The Bolton boss is eager to build on Tuesday night’s victory as the Whites aim to keep climbing the League One table.
“When your captain and vice-captain are out injured, it is not ideal. But it is an opportunity for others and football always gives you an opportunity,” he said.
“People who were on the outskirts of the squad are now getting opportunities to play and show me what they can do.
“Hopefully, they will perform to the level we expect them to perform at and we can get the three points.
“We need the three points, we want to cement ourselves in that top six as soon as we possibly can and getting a result on Saturday is pretty important.”
Exeter are currently 13th in the table and enter the game on the back of a 1-1 draw against third-place Sheffield Wednesday.
The Grecians thought they had done enough to secure all three points until Callum Paterson’s equaliser in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
Gary Caldwell took charge at St James Park earlier this season following the departure of Matt Taylor, who left his position to join Championship club Rotherham.
Evatt said: “I think it will be a tough game. I have seen a fair bit of Exeter, I think they have got some good players.
“The transition from League Two to League One is a real difficult one. We experienced that last season.
“They have got some good energy in the team. Very similar to Matt Taylor’s teams in terms of high intensity, real energetic in transition, lots of forward runners.
“I know their manager (Gary Caldwell) really well, I was captain under him at Chesterfield. I envisage a difficult game but if we perform to our levels, I am hopeful we can get the three points.”
He added: “They put the ball into good areas. They have energy and speed, and we need to manage those transitions well.
“If we can manage those transitions and dominate the second balls, I think we will grab control of the game and then it is about what we do with the ball and making sure we have more consistent detail in the final third.”
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