IAN Evatt says he is as committed as ever to the Wanderers cause as he takes his side into tonight’s promotion battle at Barnsley.

Pride dented by defeats at Blackpool and Wigan, the Bolton boss raised a few eyebrows with his post-match comments after victory against Cambridge United on Saturday, with some speculation that he was considering his future at the club.

Evatt admitted a difficult week had taken an emotional toll on him but as he prepared for a high-pressure game at Oakwell, he insisted that his passion for the job remained bright.

“I am human, I have feelings, I am a big strong lad and mentally probably as tough as it gets,” he said. “I have had a journey in my life where I sometimes think I’m built differently but this game can take chunks out of you and you need time to replenish, time just to reset. That is as much as I’ll say.

“It is a tough business, I love it, the minute I stop I won’t do it. And we are doing our best to get this club back to where it belongs.

“The result on Saturday was good, the performance was good as well, it was another step forward, which being process-driven we believe in. We expect to get points when we play well.

“I thought we played well at Wigan. The final third stuff wasn’t as good as I’d like but generally it was dominant.

“Two games against two clubs I really wanted to beat, it was tough to take. It was a really rough week, and that’s OK. You can have a tough week.

“It doesn’t mean I am any less driven or focussed or committed. You know me well enough now to know nobody wants this more than me this season.

“I will keep pushing, keep striving, and I have managed to reset and go again.”

Wanderers have made little secret of their top two target and can move above Derby County into second spot if they take any positive result from in-form Barnsley.

Evatt led the club out of League Two in his first season, finished ninth the following year, then fifth last term alongside winning the Papa Johns Trophy.

Bolton remain on course for another season of progression but the pressure to return to the Championship remains intense. Evatt hopes to keep his side in the fight for a top two spot by the time of the international break later this month, after which he should have top scorer Dion Charles, goalkeeper Nathan Baxter and potentially defender George Johnston back in contention.

“It is challenging being a manager and I care so much about this club, these fans, everyone associated with the club – the ownership group, the players, the staff, even you guys (the media). We have built a really good relationship over an extended period of time,” Evatt said.

“I think I’m eighth on the list of longest-serving managers, and I am extremely fortunate to be one of those guys and to be at this club.

“But you have ups and you have downs. Last week, particularly the four days, were tough to take for me. I take defeats personally, and the minute that changes I’ll stop. Nobody wants to win a game more than me.

“I want to achieve great things with this football club. We know what that means and we’ll have to embrace it. It’s a rollercoaster but I can guarantee with me and this team we’ll be sitting at the front and take it all on.

“The key indicators for me show that this club has progressed. We are involved in automatic promotion and we haven’t had that so far.

“We know come the end of the season that everyone will have their ideas about how we have done. But one thing I can certainly say is that we will give it our best shot.”

Evatt and his side were under considerable pressure to bounce back with a win against Cambridge but after returning to the training ground on Monday morning, the Whites boss said he felt re-energised.

“To be honest, I have experienced a lot in my life and I do think I am built differently,” he said.

“Sometimes the manager manages himself. When I choose to say something it is what I am feeling at the time. I am black and white, I say how I feel, anyone can see how I am feeling at any given time because I’m a pretty emotional person but it has got me this far.

“That is why I have a great relationship with the players. They know I tell the truth and say what I feel at the time.

“Yeah, sometimes a day away from the club can give you a chance to get some perspective and reset. I probably needed that after the game on Saturday. I knew the importance of that game, for everyone’s sake we needed to win. Not necessarily ourselves, I suppose, because we do have a lot of belief and confidence, but for the outside perception we needed to get a win on the board and see everyone play well again.

“We won’t shy away from what we know is a huge 10 days. We will embrace it.”