Ian Evatt got his wish as Bolton marked 5,000th game in style

Posted Sunday, February 12, 2023 by PA

Beaming boss Ian Evatt hailed his five-star Bolton side after they marked their 5,000th league game by hammering Peterborough 5-0.

With second-placed Sheffield Wednesday and third-placed Ipswich drawing, on-song Wanderers cut the gap between themselves and the League One automatic promotion places to six points.

Goal machine Dion Charles took his tally to the season to 17 with a fine hat-trick, which included two penalties, whilst Posh old boy Ricardo Santos haunted his former club with a double — his first for Bolton.

“It was a really good performance,” said Evatt after his side’s fourth successive win.

“Good performances equal good results and the way we went about our work against a good team, a dangerous team, was really pleasing.

“I’m delighted for the fans because they’ve been through so much. We spoke to the players this morning and for that 5,000th game we didn’t want it to be remembered for anything other than a win.

“We were clinical in the final third and we’ve been lacking in that. The energy we used running past their players was exactly what we want.”

But Evatt was keeping his feet firmly on the floor with attentions already turning to Tuesday night’s clash with MK Dons.

“We can’t get carried away. We’ve got another game Tuesday,” added Evatt.

“I’ve just said to them in the dressing room that they can enjoy the journey home, but the minute they get off the bus they’ve got to be switched on for MK Dons, which is now a massive game.

“I wanted us to keep a clean sheet, I wanted us to be professional and I wanted us to stay humble and grounded.

“That’s what good teams do and I thought they did that.”

Darren Ferguson’s Posh saw their three-match winning run come to a crashing halt.

And after an afternoon to forget, Ferguson said: “Football can be a game of ifs and buts, but the bottom line is we’ve conceded five goals at home.

“We’ve conceded three from inside the six-yard box and two penalty kicks.

“I thought we started the game very strongly. They’ve scored from such a soft goal to give away.

“We’re playing against a good side that’s full of confidence, but it makes it doubly as hard to win a game if we give goals away like that, it’s as simple as that.

“Two key moments went against us. We missed two sitters between the first and second goals.

“I didn’t see too much wrong in the first half other than the two soft goals, they didn’t cut us open.

“My message was regardless of the time get the next goal and five minutes later the game’s done. It’s over as a contest.”