WANDERERS hope top scorer Dion Charles has saved his best for last in the play-off battle.

The Northern Ireland international bundled in his 23rd goal for club and country in Saturday’s 1-1 first-leg draw against Barnsley at the University of Bolton Stadium.

And while it might not have been the most spectacular of his strikes this season, manager Ian Evatt believes the talismanic striker can be a key difference in Friday night’s return leg at Oakwell.

“It would be nice to see him catch fire now – although not with the part of his body he scored with… I think that would be quite sore,” he smiled.

“That is where centre-forwards need to be. He was in the right place at the right time and he has done that for the majority of the season.

“I thought he was quiet for the majority of the game but I do think away from home, where the spaces will be a little bit bigger, he can utilise his speed in behind.”

Wanderers are one of six teams to have beaten Barnsley on their own turf this season, the other five being Wycombe, Exeter City, Lincoln City, Ipswich Town and Peterborough United.

Evatt does not expect to see anything different from the Tykes in the second leg but he feels his own team will need to perform even better than they did in January to book a place in the play-off final.

“I think both teams have a clear identity and a clear way of doing things,” he said. “And I don’t see that changing dramatically.

“Barnsley are a really good team and I think they have improved since we went there in January. I think we have too – but I don’t think we showed it over 90 minutes. I think there is 60-70 per cent more to come from us, I really do.

“Hopefully with the pressure off on Friday we can show more of it.”

Evatt praised the way Barnsley went about their business on Saturday, especially their work in the centre of midfield.

“The way they organised out of possession is really good, and it is hard to play against,” he said.

“There was very limited space in the middle of the park, so it became about moving the ball around the outside, which drew them out and opened up some of the central spaces. Once that happens you should be able to play back inside, but we didn’t have enough options, or we chose the wrong decision and that played into their hands.

“We will pick the bones out of it, debrief and give the players information on how they can improve that. But I know for certain that there is a lot more to come from this team, and I hope we can show that on Friday.”