Ian Evatt hails in-form Dion Charles after Bolton beat Exeter

Posted Sunday, December 18, 2022 by PA

Dion Charles took his season’s goal tally into double figures in Bolton’s 2-0 win over Exeter much to boss Ian Evatt’s obvious delight.

Charles, who also twice hit the woodwork, scored his 10th of the campaign during a dominant first half when Liverpool loanee Conor Bradley also netted for the Trotters.

“I am not claiming to be someone who sees into the future,” said Evatt after Wanderers’ first win in three League One games.

“But I knew with the amount of chances Dion was getting, sooner or later they would start to go in. That’s what has happened in the last couple of weeks. He is in a rich vein of form.

“What could he have and what could the team do with the amount of chances we create?

“In the first half, I thought we were outstanding. As a first-half performance it was our best of the season.

“My only criticism is the game should have been over at half-time.

“As much as it was scrappy and frustrating in the second half – because we looked tired and fatigued – I was really pleased we limited them to very little.”

Exeter created minimal chances to trouble James Trafford but manager Gary Caldwell believed Josh Key’s second-half ‘goal’ – as Bolton players stopped for referee Scott Oldham’s decision – was wrongly disallowed for offside.

However, he admitted: “We gave two goals away and could have conceded more in that period.

“We made it far too easy for Bolton in the first half. We had a go in the second half which was pleasing.

“But you can’t give a team at the top of the league a start like that because it is always going to be difficult.

“We had too many players not at the high standards they have set recently. We gave ourselves a mountain to climb in the second half.

“We have to be better in our duals right across the pitch and have more intensity in how we go about winning them.”

Exeter certainly missed defender Pierce Sweeney, absent because of a fractured thumb.

Caldwell added: “He had an operation but we hoped he could have got a cast on to play. So, we had to re-jig the back three and it wasn’t great.

“But we didn’t get enough pressure on the ball in the press in front of them. We were too easy to play through and made it too easy for Bolton in the first half.”