IAN Evatt has explained why he ended Owen Beck’s Wanderers debut ahead of schedule.

The young defender, on loan from Liverpool, completed 62 minutes before being replaced by Lloyd Isgrove, himself making a first competitive appearance of the season.

Beck had been waiting for his opportunity at Bolton after joining them at the end of the summer transfer window and had been given a special fitness programme to get him up to speed with the rest of the squad.

Wanderers were beaten on penalties at Tranmere but not before they had fought back from two down to grab a bonus point in the Papa Johns Trophy group.

Speaking about Beck’s debut, Evatt clarified why he brought Isgrove on at right wing-back in the youngster’s place.

“I thought he (Beck) did okay. I thought he grew into it,” the manager said. “I took him off for a couple of reasons, number one because he is away with Wales under-21s now and we have been trying to manage his minutes.

“And if he played 90 minutes tonight, and then went away with Wales and played 90, it is probably too much for him where we are right now.

“A 60 and probably a 90 with Wales will do him good. It was also to get Lloyd on the pitch and give him some minutes back as well.”

Beck will be in the young Wales squad facing Austria next Tuesday (September 27) under new manager Matthew Jones.

He has been named as part of a 26-man party which will eventually be scaled down to 17 for the trip.

Ian Evatt hopes some of the players involved in Tuesday night’s game analyse their performance after Bolton had struggled to contain their League Two opponents in the first half.

Conor Carty’s late goal forced the game into penalties but Tranmere had plenty of chances after the break to end any chance of a revival.

Evatt was asked particularly whether Kieran Sadlier’s lack of game time had been a factor, with the former Rotherham United man only getting into the game in the last half an hour.

The manager added: “No, I don’t think so. I just think first half they were all below par and that can happen, but below par based on energy and work ethic.

“When you make 10 changes sometimes it can have a detrimental effect, only Jonno that started the game on Saturday, and they just didn’t get going.

“Someone was waiting for a spark but they were waiting for each other to spark rather than taking it on themselves and saying ‘I’m going to be the one to set us off’.

“It took a half-time team talk of some strong words to then come out second half and do that. We’ll use it as a reference point for the rest of the season that we cannot play and provide the same work ethic as that because you end up losing games if you do that.

“Everything we do, all the good stuff that we do that’s exciting to watch, that’s pleasing on the eye, is all based around graft, hard work and desire and what was upsetting first half is that wasn’t there.”