IAN Evatt has revealed Wanderers will introduce a B team next season in an attempt to bridge the gap between youth and first team football.

The Whites created a reserve side last summer to be managed by Sam Hird and offer younger players the chance to play in the Central League alongside members of the first-team squad who were in need of playing time.

However, things haven’t quite gone to plan in recent months and the side has mainly featured youth players as a result of Wanderers’ injury crisis earlier this season.

The recent clash with Fleetwood at the Eddie Davies Academy was an exception to this trend, with several member of the first-team squad getting a run out in preparation for their trip to Wigan.

Evatt had previously suggested that a significant overhaul would take place over the summer and has now confirmed the club’s next step.

The Whites will now recruit a manager and playing squad for the B team, which will be kept separate from the first team picture.

“We have come down on the side of running a B team next season, so we will stick with Category Three and run a B team, which will be a separate squad and group to the first team,” Evatt told The Bolton News.

“We feel that is the best way to encourage the pathway and make sure there isn’t that gap between under-18s and first-team football.

“It gives some of our academy players a longer time to develop and learn to get themselves ready for the first team.

“That is what has been agreed and decided on, and we will be recruiting a B team manager and a whole B team squad for next season over the summer.”

The team will not be part of a scheduled league but Evatt says the club will arrange regular matches against other B teams and under-23 sides.

The Bolton boss reckons it is the best option in the short term and will give the Whites more flexibility in terms of developing their young talents.

He added: “To run an under-23s we would have to become a Category Two (academy) and with the time that we have got right now, there is a lot that would have to happen for us to qualify for Category Two.

“What the B team does give us is more flexibility, it gives us the chance to not only play against academies and under-23s but also men’s fixtures as and when we see fit really.

“There is no scheduled league but there will be regular games week-on-week against different categories and calibre of opposition.

“It gives us that flexibility depending on how strong the group looks, and obviously we have got to recruit a whole new squad of players for that with one or two being promoted from the under-18s and one or two we are carrying now that we don’t feel are quite ready for the first team, Adam Senior is a prime example.

“There are loads of things to be positive about. The board and Sharon (Brittan) are amazing doing this and building the club.

“It is kind of the first step forward in what is going to be a journey hopefully. We are not ready yet to do Category Two and under-23s yet, you have to progress to that stage.

“But what we are doing is taking the first step forward towards doing that and we are looking forward to it. It is going to be really exciting.”

Evatt maintains that the club’s long-term goal is to introduce an under-23s team but admits it will be difficult to achieve while they are playing in League One.

The Bolton chief is determined to make sure the first team are performing and insists progress off the pitch will stem from results on it.

This afternoon’s clash with Wigan is the first of seven remaining fixtures as the Whites aim to finish the campaign on a high.

When asked if Wanderers will eventually transition to an under-23 team, Evatt said: “That is the plan. Fundamentally we have to get ourselves back in the Championship at least, that is my job.

“Football clubs are funny really because they can be big businesses and there are lots of things that go into it – academy, commercial, we have got the hotel.

“But what you mustn’t lose sight of is if the first team is functioning and doing well on the pitch, everything else comes off the back of that.

“It is my job to make sure that this team is still progressing, still moving forwards and still getting results. If we do that, it enables everything else to be better.”