IAN Evatt is delighted to see Wanderers in positive goal difference at long last – but does not want it to be a deciding factor at the end of the season.

Bolton put a plus sign in the for and against column for the first time since August 2018 with the 2-0 win at near neighbours Oldham Athletic on a night where the visitors threatened at one point to run riot.

While it is a clear sign of progress as the Whites go in search of a seventh straight win at Bradford today, Evatt knows it is points that win prizes.

He said: “We are spreading that much goodwill at the moment we even got rid of the negative goal difference, how good is that?

“Obviously it is important, we do what we can to improve that.

“On Tuesday night it was – not so much mine – but the players’ frustration that they didn’t go and score three, four, five when the opportunity was there to do it.

“That goes back to me saying there is still another level for these players.

“More combinations, more detail, more structure in the final third.

“It isn’t quite where I want it to be but there’s work to do.

“Goal difference only comes into play if we have the same points as everyone else.

“We have to make sure we have more.”

With long-standing statistics being scrubbed out as Wanderers have marched into the League Two play-offs, Evatt knows that challenge is to keep the run going.

That’s no forgone conclusion with the Bantams having won their last five and on a charge of their own ahead of this afternoon’s game.

“I don’t think in any way, shape or form the players are going to be complacent or over confident,” the Bolton boss said.

“We are confident, but we’re not overconfident. We believe in ourselves and there’s a fine line between arrogance and belief, but we are treading it the right way and on the right side of the line at the moment and long may that continue.

“We have to go there and have faith and belief in ourselves, implement our own gameplan on the opposition and if we do that, and I’ve said this all season, I think we can beat anybody.

“That’s not overconfidence or arrogance, that’s just my own beliefs in my own team. But we know we need to go out there and perform.

“We know it’s going to be a big test for us and our toughest test yet. But we’ve had many tough tests – Scunthorpe had won four on the trot before we played them, Southend had picked up good results before we played them and good results after.

“It just shows you that this league, you can’t ever take your foot off the gas, we need to be full tilt for the rest of the season and that’s what we have been and we will be for the remainder of the campaign.”