"Unnecessary risks" - Ian Evatt left fuming after Bolton Wanderers exploits v Cambridge | OneFootball

Ian Evatt slammed his side after they conceded a late equaliser to Cambridge United.

Ian Evatt was left incensed by Bolton Wanderers' late game management, as they let a 1-0 lead slip against ten-man Cambridge United.

Having taken the lead through Aaron Collins' third of the campaign, it was expected that the Trotters would add to their lead in the final 30 minutes. However, in failing to do so, they began to invite late pressure and eventually conceded in the 89th minute as Sullay Kaikai nodded in Danny Andrew's cross.

It could have been even worse for Bolton, as Shayne Lavery came close to snatching a dramatic winner in the closing seconds but failed to direct his header on target.

This leaves Evatt's side in eighth place, with a negative goal difference seeing them outside the play-offs despite being level on points with Barnsley.

Unsurprisingly, the Wanderers head coach was left frustrated with the result, bemoaning his side's failure to secure all three points against a team sitting 22nd in the table.

Ian Evatt criticises Bolton's game management

Speaking to the Bolton News post-match, it was clear that Evatt was disappointed with the outcome of the game: "It is two points dropped, no two ways about that.

"It was always going to be a difficult game, but we had done the hard yards to get ahead, the sending-off obviously helping.

"The only way they are going to score is a set play, and we concede far too many. We are giving sloppy fouls away, not dealing with balls that we should do the simple things and put them back in behind. We were trying to take unnecessary risks, dribble or take too many touches, which leads to long throws. I am disappointed not to see the game out.

“We had the game and it is never easy at this ground. We had the game in the palm of our hands but through a lack of game management, we gifted them a chance to get a draw and when they score so late there is not enough time to recover and get ahead again.”

Had Bolton held on, it would have meant 12 points from the last 15 available and propelled them into sixth place as they enter a busy December.

Continuing on his discussion of where it went wrong, the 43-year-old added: "The way we managed the game in the last 10 minutes, we allowed the crowd to wobble us, we allowed the atmosphere to make us make poor decisions. We gave sloppy, silly fouls away where we could have just stayed on our feet and seen what they were trying to do.

"And then we had to defend the balls on the box. You can’t always rely on the back three to keep on defending, we’d just conceded too many of them, and then eventually you will get punished."

Bolton must learn from their mistakes

Having made things far too easy for Cambridge in the final 10 minutes, Evatt's side must take lessons from their mistakes.

To date, they have conceded nine goals from set pieces, the second-worst figure in the league.

Teams battling at the bottom of the table often rely heavily on set pieces to create chances, yet Bolton have still not adapted to this reality. Earlier in the season, Shrewsbury Town’s Jordan Shipley highlighted their vulnerability by scoring an almost identical goal to the one he netted against the Wanderers just six months earlier in the same fixture.