Ian Evatt impressed by fast-starting Bolton in victory at Barnsley
Posted Tuesday, January 03, 2023 by PA
Bolton boss Ian Evatt praised his side’s flying start to the game after they cruised to a 3-0 victory over 10-man Barnsley.
Dion Charles opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 12th minute after Barnsley captain Mads Andersen saw red for bringing down the Bolton striker.
Jon Dadi Bodvarsson made it 2-0 just before half-time and Kyle Dempsey wrapped up the win late on as Bolton moved above Barnsley into fifth spot in League One.
Evatt said: “I was impressed with the way we started the game, we started with energy, with a good attitude.
“We knew from the first two games we’ve played against Barnsley that they condense the pitch, there is space in behind them that we wanted to expose and we did that in the first 10 minutes.
“Running in behind got us ahead and after that we took control.
“I’m really pleased for the players, we’re a hard team to beat. The players are in a really good place.”
Bolton’s win leaves them a point behind fourth-placed Derby and with the possibility of reinforcements arriving in the January transfer window.
Evatt said: “At the moment things are looking positive, we’ve had a bid accepted for a player and that’s progressing all the time.
“There’s one or two enquiries for some of our lads that haven’t played as much football.
“It’s going to be a busy month, but a month we need to get right.”
Barnsley head coach Michael Duff, whose side drop to fifth after suffering a first league defeat since October, said: “Playing with 10 men against any team is tough, but when you’re playing against a good team like Bolton, it’s really tough.
“You get to 40 minutes and we looked pretty comfortable, but we gifted them a goal from absolutely nothing.
“They didn’t have to work hard and we were 2-0 down. I thought the reaction after half-time was really good, for 20 minutes we had a go but then the fatigue kicks in.
“The five players they bring on are just as good as the five they’ve taken off.
“In reality they’ve had three shots on target and scored three goals. There are positives but it’s a disappointing day.”
On the penalty decision against his side, Duff said: “I thought it (the red card) was a harsh decision.
“I think there’s an attempt to play the ball and there has to be no attempt to play the ball to send him off.
“I don’t think we’ve had a penalty all season and we’ve had three against us in the last three games.”
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