Bolton Wanderers beat Crewe Alex to get their Papa Johns Trophy campaign up and running with a victory.
In Group B of the Northern section of the draw, Wanderers took the lead early on through Amadou Bakayoko. However, the Railwaymen drew level not long after through Courtney Baker-Richardson.
Wanderers went ahead after the break thanks to Dion Charles, before Kieran Sadlier added a third with a classy finish. Charles added his second and Bolton's fourth before the end to ensure a 4-1 win.
READ MORE: Bolton player ratings vs Crewe - Sheehan, Thomason & Charles great as Toal's encouraging debut
The game also saw midfielder Josh Sheehan make his long awaited comeback from a ruptured ACL, while summer signing Eoin Toal made his Bolton debut. Here's a transcript of Ian Evatt's immediate reaction to the victory, plus a latest update on the transfer window.
Job done?
“I thought some of our football tonight was breathtaking at times, really good. Still annoyed with the goal new conceded and the fact that we had so many chances that it really could have been a lot more than it was.
"But I thought the way we moved the ball and looked after the ball at times, they found it very hard to cope and manage us. Then the last 20 minutes, they were fatigued on their feet because they had chased it for so long and we really took advantage.
"A good performance and we have to build on that now and get our confidence back that has been knocked last week.”
A couple of other positives with players returning and a debut.
“Great to see Josh back. Really happy and pleased for him. He has worked really hard in his rehabilitation. His attitude has been first class. He will progress from that again.
"I thought Eoin was fantastic on his debut, he has settled in really well considering he has not trained too much with us. The understanding of how to play out, where to go, where to position yourself and his defensive work – his aerial dominance, his duels. It is a good start for him.”
The transfer window is looming large - do you expect any movement in or out?
“Not necessarily out but possibly in. Obviously, we are always looking to improve and always looking for players who can add competition and quality to our squad. We will continue to look until the end of the window.”
Is it difficult to assess where players are at in the game vs Crewe looking ahead to Charlton - hopefully it’s confidence restored?
“I think we were all a bit frustrated after Saturday because I thought our performance was really good. Like I said, it was just both boxes and a couple of moments of madness. We just didn’t take our opportunities but everything in between was very good, against a good team as well.
“We just couldn’t lose faith, confidence and belief in what we have been doing. I thought throughout the three losses last week, for the large majority we did pretty well. It was just the moments we were losing our way and we have to be better in those moments. I thought tonight we showed signs of doing that.
“There is obviously still room for improvement, and if we can add a couple more bodies in it will make us even stronger. But to perform like that, it is kind of some perspective as well for me because when I first took this job, we played Crewe three times and got walloped every time here. It shows how far we have developed and progressed in the two years I have been here and I thought tonight was excellent at times.”
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