Wanderers boss Ian Evatt is delighted with his side’s response in their 4-1 win against Crewe Alexandra in the Papa John’s Trophy.

It had been a tough week for the Whites after defeats against Sheffield Wednesday, Aston Villa and Plymouth Argyle.

But Evatt’s men returned to winning ways in style against the Railwaymen thanks to goals from Amadou Bakayoko, Kieran Sadlier and a Dion Charles brace.

Evatt told The Bolton News: “I thought some of our football tonight was breathtaking at times, really good.

“Still annoyed with the goal new conceded and the fact that we had so many chances that it really could have been a lot more than it was.

“But I thought the way we moved the ball and looked after the ball at times, they found it very hard to cope and manage us.

“Then the last 20 minutes, they were fatigued on their feet because they had chased it for so long and we really took advantage.

“A good performance and we have to build on that now and get our confidence back that has been knocked last week.”

Josh Sheehan made his first competitive appearance since last November after recovering from a cruciate ligament injury, while Eoin Toal made his debut after joining from Derry City over the summer.

“Great to see Josh back. Really happy and pleased for him,” added Evatt. He has worked really hard in his rehabilitation, his attitude has been first class. He will progress from that again.

“I thought Eoin was fantastic on his debut, he has settled in really well considering he has not trained too much with us.

“The understanding of how to play out, where to go, where to position yourself and his defensive work – his aerial dominance, his duels. It is a good start for him.”

Deadline day is right around the corner and the Bolton chief is still looking for additions to strengthen his squad.

When asked about any potential business, the manager explained: “Not necessarily out but possibly in.

“Obviously, we are always looking to improve and always looking for players who can add competition and quality to our squad. We will continue to look until the end of the window.”

Evatt reckons the result highlights how far the club has come since he took charge and hopes they can continue to head in the right direction.

“There is obviously still room for improvement, and if we can add a couple more bodies in it will make us even stronger,” he added.

“But to perform like that, it is kind of some perspective as well for me because when I first took this job, we played Crewe three times and got walloped every time here.

“It shows how far we have developed and progressed in the two years I have been here and I thought tonight was excellent at times.”