IAN Evatt made no excuses for his side’s first blip of the pre-season, admitting a heavy 5-1 defeat at Wigan Athletic had been a “rude awakening”.

Nathan Delfouneso’s goal was all the Whites had to show from the visit to their old training base at Euxton – whereas Wigan were able to cheer up their supporters thanks to a superb hat-trick from Joe Garner.

The Latics’ Championship class certainly told at times against a young Bolton team but Evatt felt the level of performance dipped way below what he expected.

“We were poor, there’s no two ways about it,” he told The Bolton News.

“There were a number of people who said to me they needed more minutes and that they had been itching to play during pre-season, where we had set a high standard. And they didn’t do that.

“This has been a rude awakening. It is not acceptable, pre-season or otherwise.”

Wigan led 2-1 at the break, Callum McManaman’s fifth-minute goal cancelled out quickly by Delfouneso before Garner headed the first just before the break.

Wanderers had given a start to Charlie Adam, the 34-year-old former Scotland international midfielder, but Evatt was forced into scrambling changes before the hour mark as Garner plundered two spectacular goals to complete his hat-trick.

“I didn’t really want to have to use those players, who had played the most minutes, but I didn’t feel there was a choice the way the game was going,” he said.

“It’s disappointing. To be honest, it is OK when you are chucking one or two of the younger players in there among the senior ones. It makes it easier.

“But when it’s eight, nine or 10 it is a bit more difficult, as we have seen there.

“Wigan played more or less a Championship team at the start of the match and it really showed at times but I was happier with the way we finished in the second half.”