IAN Evatt hopes the influx of new signings in January will trigger a positive reaction among his existing players too. 

Wanderers brought in several new faces last month including Aaron Morley, Marlon Fossey, Kyle Demspey and Dion Charles and have since seen their league form improve significantly. 

Evatt appreciates there has been an impact on those who played in the first half of the season. 

“I think there will be,” he said. “But I also think they should embrace it. You should always embrace competition. 

“I remember being a player at Blackpool for eight years and they’d bring a new centre half in every summer, but I just saw it as good competition to make sure that I was playing ahead of them and that ended up happening so they have to have that determination. 

“We are in a competition, a team sport which is made up of individuals. Get out of your comfort zone, embrace it, work harder and make sure when you get your opportunity, you take it and that’s what the players have to do.” 

Though some of Evatt’s new signings have slotted in quickly to the side, he admits a packed February means tactical work on the training ground will be limited – and that fans may only see the best of the team towards the end of the season. 

“The new ones have obviously made a huge difference,” he said. They have settled in really fast but there are still lots of things that they need to improve on and time on the training ground is difficult at the moment because of how many games we have had. It has been more about visual learning for them. 

“But across the squad I am happy with what I have got. Football is very much now not one to 11, that’s how it used to be, now it’s squad game and you have to utilise your squad and rotate as you see fit.”

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