Eoin Toal has continued to make progress and could return to the Wanderers squad for this weekend’s trip to Burton Albion.

The defender missed pre-season after picking up an injury while on international duty with Northern Ireland.

Toal featured in a B Team fixture against Huddersfield earlier this month and has had his training load increased.

The centre-back became an important member of Ian Evatt’s squad during the second half of last season, making 22 starts in the league.

“Eoin is progressing all the time,” Ian Evatt told The Bolton News. “His training load is getting to the numbers where we need it to be to make him robust and help him stay injury-free.

“He obviously missed the whole of pre-season, which isn’t ideal. He has had to work very hard to get to the same level of fitness that the other players are at.

“But he is getting closer and closer. I would imagine he will be involved this week.”

Dion Charles is back available after serving a one-match suspension following his controversial sending off against Fleetwood.

Wanderers have no fresh injury concerns following last weekend’s defeat against Wigan, although George Johnston remains a long-term absentee.

Football is an emotional game, but Evatt insists the Whites cannot afford to rip up their plans after one bad result.

“When people have emotion, they can say things they might regret moving forward,” the manager explained.

“We have obviously come in for heavy criticism, and rightly so to be honest, but it doesn’t mean we have become a bad team. It hasn’t changed what we are or who we are.

“Everybody loses, you are entitled to lose. If you didn’t lose, winning would be pretty boring because you wouldn’t appreciate it as much.

“It is the same with anything in life really – there has to be a balance or you wouldn’t appreciate what they mean.

We have to take our medicine and we have done this week. We have all been hurting but we must make sure, come Saturday, that we are back to what I have seen in the first few weeks of the season.”