Bolton Wanderers came from behind to rescue a point at home against Portsmouth but their faint play-off hopes appear to now be over for this season
Aiden O'Brien put Pompey ahead early in the second half, after Dapo Afolayan had gone closest to breaking the deadlock before half-time and forced a good save from Portsmouth goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu.
But Wanderers responded to going behind with Elias Kachunga coming off the bench to win a penalty and Kieran Sadlier fired home to earn Bolton a share of the spoils.
READ MORE: Bolton Wanderers player ratings vs Portsmouth - Kieran Sadlier & Elias Kachunga good
The point and results elsewhere on the night in League One means Wanderers sit 12 points from the play-offs with five games of their season left and any aspirations they had of reaching the play-offs this season are now effectively over.
After the game, Wanderers boss Ian Evatt spoke to the press and here's a transcript of his initial reaction to the draw, as well as an injury update on Ricardo Santos, Dapo Afolayan and Kyle Dempsey who all had to come off in the second half.
Was a point a fair result in the end?
“Probably. We were disappointed with our performance to be honest. I don’t think we were anything like we can be or ourselves. We looked like we lacked a bit of zip, a bit of zest, a bit of energy and some intensity.
“We were a bit loose with some of our play. To be fair, credit to them, they surprised us changing shape and going to a back four and playing 4-4-2 and we just couldn’t find the solutions first half. We had some moments. The keeper made one or two really good saves but if you can’t win, you don’t lose so that’s important but we’re better than that.”
It looks like you made a tactical tweak in the first half which looked like it paid off?
“Yeah exactly that. We’ve just said to the players all the analysis work in the world really and Portsmouth have been predominantly a back three for a long time now, but sometimes teams can change for you and that’s probably credit and respect to us but we then have to find the solutions to deal with that and understand the press and understand how to get pressure on the ball without having to get to half-time or me losing my voice on the side trying to coach it.
“There’s lots of things to improve upon and work on. Fundamentally we just weren’t good enough in possession. We didn’t recognise where the space was quick enough, we needed to switch the ball to our wing-backs and create overloads wide and we didn’t do that well enough.
"We kept going back into their pressure, back into the middle of the pitch whereas once we got the ball wide, we caused them problems and that’s where the penalty came from. But lots to work on but more concerning is the injuries really. That really disrupted our momentum second half and Rico is huge for us, but Kyle and Dapo as well, three hamstrings. There has to be something in that, especially following Saturday’s game.
“We’ll get them scanned and looked at and see where we’re at.”
It’s early, but it sounds like all three could be facing a couple of weeks out?
“It looks that way and that’s not ideal for anybody. It’s been a long season and especially since January we’ve played a lot of football and Rico and Dapo in particular have played a lot of football, so whether that’s a fatigue issue I don’t know.
"We’ll do our research, we’ll get them looked at and see where we’re at with it.”
Overall a frustrating night but can you take solace from the character showed?
“Yeah and I think we were the team that were looking likely to go on and win it again. We just aren’t carrying that same zip and zest as what we had in February and maybe that is a fatigue issue but I don’t know.
"There’s lots of things to improve upon but we’re not far away. I’m sat here really disappointed that we’ve just drawn 1-1 with Portsmouth and if you'd have said that to anybody two years ago they’d have probably snatched your hands off so we have to have some perspective.
“We want to be better, we want to progress up this division. It dosen’t look likely now this season but we have to make sure we carry momentum into next season and finish strongly.”
Not many teams do go up from this division after coming up the year before?
“I don’t think that’ll happen again. I think from the National League to League Two quite possibly because that’s tighter, but in terms of League Two to League One and then onto the Championship and Premier League, I don’t think people are going to have back to back promotions.
“I just don’t think it’s possible with the way the finances in football nowadays and the teams that are in it, I think it’s impossible. What you need to do is build and have some stability and build a structure and a foundation to be able to have success from and I think that’s what we’ve done this season.
“Not to be probably this year, but very hopeful for next.”
Great finish for the penalty, but it looked like Dion Charles fancied it as well?
“Dion is a goalscorer and wants to score but Kieran is a penalty taker and he took penalties at Rotherham but the main thing is it went in and we can look at who should be taking it and what afterwards, but the main thing is the penalty went in and we drew the game 1-1.”
With five games to go, the play-offs look unlikely so what do you want to see from the side?
“Just continued improvement really. I think earlier on in the season we’d have probably lost that game tonight and that’s probably and improvement as well when we’ve not been at our best, we’ve given games away, but tonight we didn’t give it away, I’m more disappointed that our performance wasn’t quite there because I do believe performance bring points.
"The more you perform and play well the better chance you’ve got of winning football matches and I don’t think we were anything like our best tonight but you have to give some credit to the opposition, I think they were quite good.”
