The Bolton boss admits some focus was lost during the 2-1 defeat against Exeter City, which leaves the Whites nursing a slender one-point advantage over fourth-placed Morecambe going into the final day of the season.

Although goal difference means top spot is realistically out of reach, Wanderers can still finish second. A win at the People’s Pension Stadium will guarantee League One football next season – and that, above anything else, is all that matters to the resolute Bolton boss when he spoke to the press yesterday.

“Football sometimes has a nasty habit of coming back and biting you on the backside,” he told The Bolton News. “There are lessons to be learned from last week, as a team, the way we managed things, the way we dealt with emotion and expectancy.

“But I feel as though we have dealt with those lessons and the lads have hurt, they were really hurting on Saturday. I said what I had to say and you could see I was down in the press conference but also the players were sat in the changing room, alone, not speaking, for a really lengthy spell of time.

“They understand where they let themselves down and they understand that they don’t want that feeling again. That is the motivation for this week.

“We have to remember here that we are still in pole position. Morecambe and Cambridge have added pressure as well and we know that if we win, nobody can stop us.

“We have to make sure we play to our usual standards and if we do that I am confident we will get the right result.”

Wanderers will be without experienced midfielder Kieran Lee on the pitch at Crawley – although he will be in the travelling group – with youngster George Thomason expected to be named as his replacement in the starting line-up.

Evatt says standards on the training ground this week have been high enough for him to believe the Exeter defeat is now out of the players’ system.

“We have been through that now, though, and come out the other side,” he said. “And because of how well we have done of late, we have a second opportunity and a second chance.

“We have to go in with the right attitude on Saturday. We can’t rest on our laurels and I’m not saying we did that last weekend but there certainly was a party feel. This weekend is strictly business.”