WANDERERS boss Ian Evatt says his defenders should expect a tough battle against Wycombe on Saturday afternoon.

The Chairboys carry a physical threat in attack thanks to the likes of Adebayo Akinfenwa and Sam Vokes.

Evatt knows first-hand how tough it can be to face Akinfenwa from his playing career and insists the Whites have to adapt.

“I think Bayo is one of the strongest players I ever played against. Sometimes you can’t be stronger than a certain somebody, even if you’re physically strong yourself,” said the Bolton boss.

“It’s about being smart and playing to your strengths and hiding your deficiencies. That might mean us getting high up the pitch, it might mean changing tactics. We’ve got a plan.

“At the moment we don’t know if we’ll have 11 fit but we’ll certainly do our best to put a strong team out and hatch a plan for Wycombe, and be a lot better than we were on Wednesday.”

Wednesday night’s FA Cup defeat against Stockport County was a blow for Wanderers after a brilliant weekend on and off the pitch.

But Evatt says you have to expect highs and lows in football and insists it is his job to make sure the players remain level-headed.

He added: “That’s part of being a manager - you have to keep people calm and focused on the job, especially the way we play because it takes bravery.

“If you start hearing moans and grumbles from the crowd or social media or anywhere else, it can affect that bravery and confidence. We have to just stay focused on ourselves.

“We’re in the eye of the storm. There can be noise around us and turbulent times but we have to be focused on the job at hand.

“I’ve become very good at that, I have a firm belief in myself and the rest of the staff and the football team.

“We’ll be okay, I have no doubt about that. Football is hard to have perspective at times, and sometimes you need to look at what we’ve already achieved, and that’s a lot in a short space of time.

“We understand that Wednesday was unacceptable but we have to put things right now in the league.”