Bolton boss responds to Derby County promotion as Darren Ferguson makes admission

It was a dramatic final day in League One, and Bolton manager Ian Evatt has reflected on missing out on automatic promotion after a 3-3 draw with Peterborough United.

Despite taking an early 2-0 lead, Bolton couldn’t hold on as Peterborough fought back to secure a draw. Meanwhile, Derby County’s victory over Carlisle United secured their second-place finish and automatic promotion.

“We got ourselves two up, but could and should have scored more,” said Evatt. “The scoreline at Derby then filtered back and probably knocked a bit of stuffing out of the lads.

“I still think there are lots of positives to take this season even though we missed out on automatic promotion.

“We have improved our points tally and our league position, won more games and lost less. It’s just that when we really needed to go on a run, we’ve drawn too many games.

“But we know where we are, we know what is ahead of us, and our job now is to focus on Barnsley.

“I firmly believe we’re in a better place for it than we were last season. The squad has evolved, the mentality is a lot stronger, and we’ve got key personnel back at the right time.

“We go everywhere to win, and that won’t change. There will be no backward steps from us.”

Peterborough manager Darren Ferguson acknowledged Bolton’s aggressive start: “We knew Bolton would start aggressively to try and unnerve Derby – it was perfect for them and awful for us.”

With Bolton now preparing for the play-offs, the focus shifts to their upcoming clash against Barnsley.

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