IAN Evatt has called for ‘realism’ among Bolton Wanderers supporters as he looks to rebuild the club in League Two.

Speaking after the 1-1 draw against Mansfield Town the Whites boss says he still has the full support of the club’s owners, Football Ventures, despite a poor start which has seen just two victories from the opening 11 games.

Antoni Sarcevic’s late goal snatched a point from the jaws of defeat at the University of Bolton Stadium but the performance drew strong criticism from the fanbase.

Evatt has made no secret of his desire to win promotion this season and maintains he was right to set lofty targets in the summer despite also claiming his playing budget is way lower than many rivals clubs in the division.

And though he says a plea for patience is “not what the fans want to hear right now” he feels more time will be needed to bed down new signings and a new playing style.

“This is a big club and the history and stature of this club is magnificent, the fanbase is magnificent. But we have to be realistic here. We are in League Two, we have had a lot of misery of late as a football club and now we have fantastic owners who want to hit the restart button and start again,” he said.

“We have 22 new players in the midst of a pandemic with a salary cap that no-one expected. Are we spending massive money? No. We’re probably spending half of what Mansfield are, so we have to be realistic, it’s going to take time.

“I want success more than anyone and anyone will tell you that I am so driven, so hungry for it, but it is going to take time and we have to be patient.

“I want success and I know the fans want and deserve success but some perspective and some realism is needed as to where we are right now.

“We have hit the reset button, we want to be self-sustainable, we want to do things properly. We will get it right but it is going to take time.”