Ian Evatt believes his attacking players will supply the goals needed to challenge at the top end of League One this season.

Deadline Day ended with a degree of disappointment among some Bolton supporters, with no further signings to add to the five which had already been secured in the summer window.

At the top of many a shopping list was a striker – with concern raised that none of Evatt’s current front line had scored a goal in league football to date.

It is believed an enquiry was made to loan QPR’s Macauley Bonne but the 26-year-old Zimbabwe international opted to stay in London, a move to Charlton Athletic eventually collapsing late in the evening.

Dion Charles – now fit again after a thigh injury – and Amadou Bakayoko scored in Tuesday night’s 4-1 win against Crewe in the Papa Johns Trophy, and Bolton boss Evatt has seen enough in his players’ performances to think they can handle the goalscoring burden.

“I do believe in them and I think they all know that I do and the facts are that we’re creating chances which is important,” he said. “If we weren’t creating chances I’d be a lot more worried but we are getting them chances and they will start to take them.

“I do think we have got a really good group of strikers. I have a huge amount of belief in them all. If we were ever going to bring someone in, it would be someone we think is better than what we have.

"Is that out there for what we want to do with this football club? Probably not is the answer, especially as I said when prices get driven higher and higher and it starts to make you feel slightly uncomfortable.

“That is the time to walk away and that is kind of where we are at. I have belief that our strikers will score goals. I haven’t seen anything that makes me think otherwise.”

Rumours also circulated throughout the day of interest in Morecambe target man, Cole Stockton, a player who had been on Bolton’s radar in previous windows.

Port Vale, Shrewsbury and Fleetwood were also reported to be on his trail – but the 28-year-old, who scored 26 times last season, will remain with his current club, at least until January.

Evatt maintains that there was no ‘instant solution’ available on the transfer market, which led him to back Charles, Bakayoko, Dapo Afolayan, Elias Kachunga and Jon Dadi Bodvarsson to share the load for the foreseeable.

“We are never going to have an Erling Haaland at this level, you have to remember that because they don’t exist, it’s a unicorn, it’s a myth,” Evatt said. “You don’t get strikers at this level which score every opportunity they get but I believe we’ve got a really good group of strikers that are really well balanced, mixed, and I do believe they will score goals at this level.

“That was proven last season and I have no doubts that they will go on to prove it this season.

“People are allowed to miss opportunities, it happens. We are in League One, not the Premier League where Haaland is taking every chance he gets.

“These are League One footballers and unfortunately there is a trade-off – there is something they are not exceptional at. If there wasn’t, they wouldn’t be at this level.

“We will back ourselves to work with them, trust them and improve them. I am delighted with the players we have for what we pay at this football club.”