IAN Evatt is pleased Wanderers have managed to “jump ahead of the pack” ahead of Saturday’s trip to Cheltenham.

Both sides were promoted from League Two last season, with Michael Duff’s side clinching the title while the Whites finished third.

Evatt has been impressed with how the Robins have equipped themselves since the start of the campaign, and says Duff and his staff deserve credit.

“They’ve had a really good season,” he told The Bolton News. “I think, if Morecambe survive, the four teams that got promoted last season have done okay.

“I think what we’ve done is manage to jump ahead of the pack, remembering that we finished third last season, not first.

“I think we’ve managed to separate ourselves from the others, which is one of the things we wanted to achieve. We’re not where we want to be but we’re well on our way to getting there.

“Cheltenham, with what they’ve got available to them - budget and attendance - have to make the most of everything of what they are and that is credit to Michael and his staff.”

Wanderers enter the game in high spirits following back-to-back wins against Doncaster and Accrington.

Evatt added: “We wanted six points, that has come with decent performances. I don’t think we were excellent in either game.

“But we’ve managed to find a way to win when we’re not at our best and find solutions, and it is part of how we’re evolving as a team - to learn to win ugly so to speak - and I think that we’re doing that.

“I don’t think we’re ever going to be an ugly team, I just don’t think that’s the way we do things.

“I think we have flickers and moments in games where we’re exceptional, and sometimes we haven’t had enough of those moments and we’ve had too much of the other side where we’ve been inconsistent.

“We’ve been a bit soft and flaky away from home, but I think that has improved all season long and I think our attitude and personality - especially when teams score against us - has improved and got better and we finish games strongly. We have done for two years and long may that continue. 

“When we score first I think our record is exceptional so how do we score first more often and how do we keep improving? They are the conversations that are taking place every day.”

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