Bolton Wanderers return to the University of Bolton Stadium on Good Friday (Kick Off 1pm) fresh from beating Forest Green Rovers at the weekend and leapfrogging them to move up into fourth spot in the Sky Bet League Two table.
Ian Evatt’s men will be looking to continue their excellent form which has seen them win 11 and draw two of their last 13 matches.
Pre-Match Quotes:
Ian Evatt: “I’ve said to the players that I'm under no illusions that this is going to be the toughest game of our run so far for a number of reasons.
"One, everyone expects us to win, there’s a different kind of pressure.
"Number two, Colchester are actually playing a lot better than the results suggest. They’ve got some good attacking players, good attacking weapons, and can counter-attack fast, so we have to make sure we’re reliable in possession and limit transitions.
"Give them the respect they deserve, they are fighting for their lives, they’ve got some good players, they were in the play-offs last year, and a lot of their players got to the play-offs last season, so they’re not a bad team.
"They’ve just not had the right results of late but everyone comes here and raises their game, lifts their game, especially now we’ve got even more of a target on our back with how we’re performing.
"It’s going to be tough and the players need to get their heads around that and make sure they’re at it and they perform to the levels that I expect and if they do that, we’ve got a great opportunity to win the game.
"But unless they do that and give them the respect they deserve, we could get hurt, as we did against Walsall, we took a punch on the chin and we had to come out swinging second half. Hopefully, we’re not going to have to do that again and we can manage the game from start to finish.”
Hayden Mullins (Interim Head Coach): “The players were good in training.
“They’re professional and they’re a good group of lads.
“You just want us to win and see the confidence flying back into them.
“I’m sure one result will see that happen.
“It’s always tough when someone loses their job and it was the same when Steve (Ball) left.
“It was the same with Wayne (Brown) and it’s never nice to see someone lose their job, especially when they work so hard for the football club and they give so much.
“But the players were professional and took on board the messages.
“Hopefully they’ll tap into them and take them into Friday."
How to Watch:
Wanderers’ supporters can watch the game against Colchester United by purchasing an iFollow BWFC video match pass for just £10 you don’t have to miss a kick.
An iFollow BWFC video match pass will ensure supporters do not miss a minute of the action, with the entire match streamed through any compatible laptop, computer, tablet, or mobile device in the United Kingdom.
Team News:
Ian Evatt has no fresh injury concerns ahead of the game with Antoni Sarcevic, Dennis Politic, and Liam Edwards continuing their rehab from injuries.
Form:
Wanderers have maintained their position at the peak of the Sky Bet League Two form table over the last ten games.
11 wins and two draws during a 13-game period have seen them pick up 35 points from a possible 39.
Meanwhile, Colchester have only won one of their last ten games and travel up to the North West on the back of a 2-1 defeat against Bradford City at the weekend.
Last time out:
Goals in each half by Tom Eastman and Jevani Brown ensured that Colchester United ran out 2-0 winners when the sides last met in September.
Wanderers dominated possession and created plenty of chances but weren’t able to get anything from their first away trip of the campaign.