Ian Evatt says he “couldn’t ask for any more” after his side cruised to a 5-1 win against Salford City in the opening round of the carabao Cup.

Elias Kachunga, Jon Dadi Bodvarsson, Kieran Sadlier, Conor Bradley and Dapo Afolayan were all on target for the Whites after Brandon Thomas-Asante had opened the scoring midway through the first half.

“What I said before about the strength of the squad, that is the case in point. A really good performance,” he told The Bolton News. “Great energy, good attitude, some wonderful goals – you can’t really ask for more.

“I have said it and I mean it, and they know it, I trust them all. I don’t think there is any drop off from anyone. It doesn’t matter what team I pick, I don’t think it is necessarily weaker.

“I think it is a really good group of players that need to stick together. They are all going to be needed at whatever stage, and again tonight that is the case in point of how good they are when they are on it.

“I thought it was a good game. I thought Salford came to play. A couple of sharp counter attacks first half that caused us problems, and their goal kind of made us angry.

“Then, all of a sudden we just went through the gears. The second goal, I think you won’t see a better goal than that. 31 passes, really pleased.

“If ever there was a goal to define what we are trying to do and what we are trying to be then that is it.”

But there was a late frustration for Evatt and company when George Thomason was shown a straight red card for a foul on Luke Bolton in the final stages.

The Bolton chief was not happy with the decision and says the club will lodge an appeal.

“It is not a red card,” he added. “I think the player [Bolton] should be given a second yellow for the foul on Afolayan. The referee doesn’t do it and rightly so probably, with the stage of the game and the scoreline.

“And then young George, that isn’t him. He has clearly won the ball, it is one-footed. We will appeal it and hopefully they will see sense and rescind it.”

Evatt opted to make eight changes from the side that beat Wycombe Wanderers 3-0 at the weekend, and he hopes the squad can continue to “share the workload” over the coming season.

“It is not an easy job being a manager, not when you have got so many good players that you believe in and you trust,” the manager explained. “But they have to trust me that I am going to pick the right team against the right challenge.

“There are going to be changes at times but as we have seen tonight, it doesn’t mean we are any weaker.

“We just have to share that pressure and share the workload. I am delighted with what they did tonight.”