Dapo Afolayan and Kieran Sadlier will get another shot at being Wanderers’ wide men despite Saturday’s abandoned experiment with 4-3-3.

Ian Evatt started the two attacking players either side of Dion Charles against Barnsley in the FA Cup but was forced to switch formation again at half time for damage limitation.

The Bolton boss believes the system can work with more time on the training ground.

“I felt sorry for Sads and Dapo really at half-time because it wasn’t their doing that we wanted to change,” he said.

“At the end of the day we were 2-0 down and we didn’t want to concede any more goals and at times, for all we looked good attacking and had more numbers up the pitch, we looked very open so we decided to go back to a system that we know really well.

“It did work in the second half but Kieran and Dapo were two of the ones that were affected by that.”

According to analysis website Wyscout, Wanderers have used 3-4-1-2 for 48 per cent of the game time in League One this season, with the rest made up from 3-5-2 (17 per cent), 5-3-2 (12 per cent), 3-4-3 (nine per cent), 4-1-3-2 (five per cent) and two per cent spent playing with 10 men at Port Vale.

Asked what it would take for 4-3-3 to succeed at Wanderers, Evatt added: “Just training time really. I thought we looked more dangerous first half in particular, but if that is detrimental to what we are doing against the ball, which is pretty good if you look at our record, then it’s no good for anybody.

“We have to find that balance of having that security of the 3-5-2 system, but also having the attacking numbers up the pitch that a 4-3-3 gives you. Going back to what I’ve said before, we can harp on about formations and systems and how you start games and what it looks like to you guys in the media, but in game, it constantly changes.

“Sometimes we look like a back four when we’re building and playing out, sometimes we have three at the top end of the pitch with the two strikers and the opposite wing-back on the last line. It can look inbetween the two, it’s just refining the benefits of a 4-3-3 and the benefits of the 3-5-2 into one system that evolves continuously throughout the game.

“That takes time on the grass, so we’ll keep working, we’ll keep our heads down. Obviously, we’re really frustrated but adversity and frustration makes us stronger, so it is back to the hard work on the training ground and ready for Cambridge next week.”