“We become dangerous” - Ian Evatt issues rallying cry ahead of Bolton Wanderers’ trip to Sheffield Wednesday | OneFootball

Bolton Wanderers will be aiming to end a three-game winless run in League One when they travel to Hillsborough on Friday evening.

Sheffield Wednesday away, as they seemingly close in on the league title, will be viewed as the toughest fixture in the calendar by some with the Owls unbeaten in their last 22 league outings.

However, Ian Evatt is seeing the challenge in a different light with his very capable Bolton side.

The Trotters are only three points and one place ahead of seventh-placed Wycombe Wanderers, having played a game more, and therefore there could be some nail-biting moments between now and the end of the campaign as they attempt to hold on to a play-off position.

Evatt was relishing the challenge of visiting the league leaders when he spoke to The Bolton News.

He said: “I quite like the idea of having this game on Friday because I don’t think many people are giving us a prayer, they are writing us off, and when that happens we become dangerous.

“We haven’t got anything to lose there and everyone else thinks we’ll get nothing, but I am looking forward to the game.

“I genuinely think it will benefit us.

"Maybe not in terms of what the league looks like, because I think Wycombe play three times in the spell between our Friday game and when we play again in the league.

“And for the supporters, that might wobble them a little bit.

"It might be a case of ‘we’re not top six all of a sudden.’

"But we will have the games in hand then, and I think we have a pretty good run-in which we are looking forward to.

“This has been a sticky period, no question, but if you look at most of the top teams they have all had them - Plymouth, Derby, Barnsley, Ipswich - but it is about how you manage them, and I’d much rather it be now than in six or seven games.

“There is still a lot to play for, so we have to work hard and get back on track.”

The Verdict

Evatt typically likes to use media interviews to send a message to his players and that tactic appears evident in his comments ahead of taking on Wednesday.

The squad will be aware of their position in the league table, for the most part, and they are looking over their shoulders rather than up at the automatic promotion picture.

The approach is smart from Evatt, already addressing the fact that they could slip out of the top six between now and the end of the season, to ensure that the squad and supporters do not panic, which could be crucial, if it does occur.