IAN Evatt admits Wanderers looked like a side with a “soft centre” as they slumped to a 3-0 defeat at Fleetwood.

Second best in stormy conditions at Highbury, the Bolton boss had no argument when it was suggested the struggling home side had wanted three points more than his own.

The Whites are without several first team players but still went into the game as favourites against a Fleetwood side that had not won in their last 11 outings in all competitions.

But after Ged Garner had opened the scoring six minutes in, Bolton never looked like going on to win.

“It feels like we are on a massive rollercoaster at the minute. I don’t know what I am going to get from one week to the next,” Evatt said after the final whistle.

“I am sure the fans don’t and I am sure you guys in the media don’t as well.

“I thought we would have a really turbulent time up until January and I think tonight has proved it.”

Wanderers go to Accrington on Saturday hoping to add MJ Williams to their squad after a dislocated shoulder.

But Evatt says he is struggling to find consistency of performance with the players he currently has at his disposal.

“We have to fix it by working extremely hard and keeping the players confident because we don’t have any other options,” he said.

“We are tinkering, we are trying to do the best we can with what we have got available.

“And the players – even though it didn’t look like it tonight – are trying their best.

“Sometimes that isn’t good enough and they have to own that, so do I.

“We have lost a game poorly after a half decent little run. And if we think that was tough then on Saturday it will be this all over again.

“We just have to make sure we are better than we were tonight.

“It is a reoccurring problem. We have a soft centre at the moment and we are missing some key, experienced players and leaders and games like tonight highlight it.

“Half time, against the wind, even though we were 1-0 down I thought we were doing OK, managed the wind OK.

“I think they thought they could go out for the second half and it would happen naturally but it doesn’t work like that in football, you have to earn it. We didn’t at all.”

Asked about Fleetwood “wanting it more” Evatt – who had fans screaming for him to “sort it out” in the second half - said he would have to take criticism on the chin.

“I can’t argue with that point today. As a group we have to face that fact. It hurts me and it should hurt them,” he said.

“But we haven’t got nine or 10 injured players returning, we are where we are.

“We have to dust ourselves down and accept the criticism we will get, keep our counsel, keep our belief and go again.”