IAN Evatt insists he is not feeling the pressure as he looks to haul Wanderers towards the right part of the League Two table.

The Bolton boss set out a bold promotion aim on his arrival which has been tempered in recent months – the Whites 17th in League Two ahead of today’s trip to Tranmere to face former boss Keith Hill.

The rebuilding job at the University of Bolton Stadium has been bigger than Evatt imagined, and has now entered ‘Phase Two’, according to the Wanderers manager.

After 22 players arrived at the club in the summer a further four have been brought in during this transfer window with more expected to follow before the February 1 deadline.

Evatt believes that if his side can get it right, then bridging to the gap to the sharp end of division can happen swiftly.

“I don’t feel under any pressure,” he said. “The board have been incredibly supportive, always have been.

“This is a process and from the outside looking in it’s easy to see and think that Bolton Wanderers should be top of this league and winning the league easily and comfortably, but for what reason?

“Give me a reason. We’re trying to rebuild here and it’s a big rebuild job.

“This club has been in decline. We have to make sure the structure and the foundations are in place before we start to see the fruits of that labour.

“We are still down in the process, but I’m not happy at all where we are at the moment.

“I think we should be doing better of course, but it is a process and if we perform like we did on Saturday (in the 1-1 draw against Cheltenham) then I’m more than happy that we’ll get the results and move up this league and move up it fast because this league, in my opinion, is still condensed and it’s condensed because there’s no outstanding teams.

“So if we can perform like we did in November, with consistency, we’ll shoot up the league and there’s still lots to play for.

“I think we’re eight points off the play-offs. That’s nothing.

“If we put a run together that’s nothing, and then all of a sudden we’re looking up and not down.”

Despite frustrations about not picking up three points, Evatt believes last Saturday’s draw with Cheltenham at the UniBol was a real step in the right direction.

Michael Duff’s Robins currently sit in the play-off positions having narrowly missed out on promotion to League One last

season.

“You ask Michael Duff for instance was he fortunate to get a point, was the Crawley manager (John Yems) fortunate to win the game, yes they were because we are improving but we need to improve quicker and get more consistent results off the back of our positive performances,” the Bolton boss added.