THEY say you have to sample the lows to appreciate the highs, so no wonder Ian Evatt sipped his beer with a smile of content at Crawley as the promotion banners were being unfurled.

It is highly unlikely there will be another season quite like the one just gone in football, and behind the locked turnstiles, red zones and Covid-19 stewards around the country, Bolton Wanderers have had one of the most incredible journeys of all.

A young manager taking charge of his first club in the Football League found himself derided by large sections of the support from behind their laptop screens in the first few months of the campaign.

Evatt had arrived from a successful spell at Barrow with an in-vogue football philosophy and made no secret of the fact he was aiming high.

We now know, however, that the club was ill-prepared to live up to his bravado at the time. Recruitment had been patchy in the lockdown months and a revamp of the football department had left the new manager looking vulnerable as the Whites wallowed in the lowest league position in their history during November. Twenty different players came through doors before the end of 2020, all paying homage to the size of the club, the facilities and the history. But results and performances suggested that only a few really belonged in such surroundings. Others had to learn fast.

Evatt’s new look side had been humbled at Orient, hammered by Port Vale and sucker-punched by Oldham Athletic, and the Bolton boss had to stand his ground as folk questioned if he was the right man for the job.

Yet even when a relegation battle looked more likely than a promotion push, Evatt remained insistent that things would change.

Things did change, of course, not only on the pitch but also in the corridors of power at the UniBol, where the decision to axe head of football operations Tobias Phoenix in December and hand full responsibility for signings to Evatt – now manager, not head coach – proved a pivotal.

The pain of those first few months soon gave way to cautious optimism as some canny business in the winter window left Bolton looking leaner, meaner and more capable of salvaging their season.

“I think we had to go through that process to get to where we are now,” said Evatt of the early season struggles.

“Hindsight’s a wonderful thing but we were starting from scratch and you’re not going to get it right first time, nobody does, so it’s trial and error and fortunately for us, we recognised our errors quite early on.

“We were able to change things because of the backing of the board to put right what we needed to put right, and we did that in January. After that, the players took off which is great credit to them.

“It feels like we’ve had four seasons in one season to be honest. We’ve had a bad one, a mediocre one, a good one and then a brilliant one all in one go. But the most important thing is we came together when we needed to, and luckily for us it’s always how you finish and not how you start.”

Wanderers’ improvement post-February was unparalleled, climbing from 21st to third in less than three months.

Reflecting on his first season in charge, Evatt said he had learned a lot about himself.

“I think I’m probably a bit stubborn at times, many people will say that about me,” he said. “But what I am is confident and I believe in my own ability.

“I live in a state of certainty about my own skill set and ability. That is how I am mentally, and it is how I have developed over the years.

“I live in a state of certainty about what I can do and that has stood me in good stead, especially earlier on in the season. We have come a hell of a long way, there is no denying that. But we have still got a long, long way to go to get to where I want to get to.”

Evatt admits there were times in his younger days where his celebrations after the Crawley game would have been just as exuberant as those of his players. Instead, the Bolton boss was able to step back and absorb some of the sights and sounds after the final whistle that showed exactly what promotion meant to a club which has been in desperate need for something to smile about.

“I’m at a stage of my life now where in my younger days I’ve made a lot of mistakes and I’m at a stage of my life now where I take more pride from seeing everyone else happy and that’s where I’m at,” he said.

“I love looking at Paul Holliday’s face after games. Immediately after the final whistle, I'll come in and the smile on his face and the hug and high five he gives me makes everything worthwhile and it’s those little moments that you really hang on to.

“Looking up when we scored the fourth goal on Saturday and seeing Sharon Brittan’s face and the rest of the directors, that’s what makes it all worthwhile to me, it really does.

“I have had a fantastic baptism in management, I have had more success than in my wildest dreams, but I don’t take it for granted because I have had dark days in those times as well.

“Seeing the joy that it brings to people, especially ones that have been really close to the club, the joy that seeing our team do well brings, you have to pinch yourself sometimes.

“In the face of adversity, you can create real spirit and an environment and a culture which really comes together and it kind of became us against the world.”

It is a safe bet that when Evatt walks out in front of the Wanderers fans for the first time, the club’s return to League One complete, that the reception will be one of adulation.

Whereas his words were once being questioned, now Evatt’s philosophy is being celebrated in Bolton as the town continues to reconnect with its football club.

“One of my strengths as a character and a manager is that I believe in what I am saying,” he added. “I try and get people to buy into not just thinking about surviving but thinking about succeeding and being the best we possibly can.

“I think it has taken me time for fans to believe what I was saying and having that mentality, but when it all comes together, the good that it can do for the whole town and community is amazing.

“Football clubs are the heartbeat of every community and when the football club’s succeeding, the town is a different place. I saw it with Barrow last year, I’ve seen it as a player with Blackpool, it makes everywhere vibrant - everyone is happy and smiling and I haven’t been fortunate enough because of the pandemic to go around Bolton but that will change.

“I can imagine there’s smiles on faces again. That’s what I’m hearing from Michael James, one of our owners. It’s great what it’s done and long may that continue.”