Better Bulletin For Baka

Striker Amadou Bakayoko is expected to be fit for the start of the season after being forced to miss the next phase of Wanderers’ build-up.

Bakayoko missed Saturday’s training-ground friendly against Wigan Athletic, which last season’s League One champions won 1-0 with a Charlie Wyke penalty.

The Whites’ striker looks likely to sit out at least the next two of Wanderers’ warm-up games with a knee injury picked up in training.

But boss Ian Evatt is optimistic the frontman – who bagged 13 goals last season around a couple of injury lay-offs – isn’t a long-term absentee with Wanderers set to kick off their campaign at Ipswich Town on 30 July.

“The most important thing again is we’re injury-free,” said Evatt after seeing his side miss a penalty of their own against the Latics in a game largely dominated by the Whites.

“Baka picked up something yesterday but it isn’t too serious and will only be a week to two weeks, which is important.

“It looked a bad one initially and he was in a lot of pain. We feared the worst but fortunately he’s had it scanned today and it’s just a grade one medial ligament strain and in a week to two weeks he’ll be ready to go again.

“The rest of them are gaining fitness all the time.

“I think we are progressing really well and the way pre-season has been structured and the way it’s bubbling along from slow to the better opposition now is really good and positive for us.”

Wanderers faced Wigan in the first of two games in four days against Championship opposition with a training-ground game at Watford to follow on Tuesday.

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And Evatt is happy with how things are shaping up three weeks away from the start of the season.

“Obviously disappointed to lose 1-0 but there were lots of positives,” added the Wanderers’ boss.

“I was really pleased the way we played. We just wanted to see more of how we’re coaching them, our idea in and out of possession and how we’re trying to go about things and I thought we did that really well.

“Us missing a penalty and then conceding one immediately after makes things difficult. But that’s part of football and you have to respond. I thought we did really respond. We had the better chances and we created lots of opportunities.

“They were exactly the same as they were last season. They’re difficult to play against, well organised and difficult to break down. But I thought we still did that relatively well and created some chances.

“We just didn’t take them but more important is the performance and the way we went about it was really positive.”

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