Evatt Rues 'Crazy Week'

Boss Ian Evatt insists Wanderers will work hard and come out fighting to get over a ‘crazy week’ for the Whites.

A first-half Connor Wickham goal at Forest Green Rovers made it two 1-0 away defeats in the space of five-days.

Evatt’s men stepped up on their mid-week performance at Cheltenham with a dominant second 45 minutes against Rovers.

But they again drew a blank in front of goal and remain sixth in League One after a third away loss of the campaign.

“It’s been a crazy week. Post-Lincoln we’d had the best start, I believe, for 22 years this football club has made and then two poor performances and poor defeats and it looks like the world’s against us,” said Evatt, whose side took 20 points from their first 10 games before their back-to-back defeats.

“We’ll keep working hard, we’ll keep backing the players and keep them confident.

“We know we’ve let ourselves down these two games but there were more positive signs in the second half today.

“It was complete dominance, but we just didn’t take our chances. Sometimes it goes that way and it’s great the supporters backed us and came here in their numbers but just stay patient with us.

“We’re on a journey here and we’re hoping we can keep improving. We now we’ve not been at our best these last two games but we’re going to work really hard to put it right.

“We need to get our heads down, work hard and make sure we come out fighting.”

After a poor first half at The New Lawn, Wanderers barely let the home side out of their half after the break.

Image removed.

But almost constant pressure and a handful of clear-cut chances failed to yield an equaliser and possibly more as the Whites failed to add to their three goals on the road this term.

“It was an awful first half and in the second half we created so much and have to score,” added Evatt, who expects Kyle Dempsey to recover from a knock to the hip which kept him out of the squad in time for next Saturday’s visit of Barnsley.

“It’s amazing what one defeat can do. It looked like it (the loss at Cheltenham) rocked us in the first half and we looked devoid of belief.

“Then in the second half we had a huge reaction and completely dominated the game and should never lose that game.

Image removed.

“But that’s not football and football has a nasty habit of when you think you’re doing well it comes back to bite you on the backside and this week, it’s bit us on the backside.

“We have so many chances and opportunities and when you get results like we’ve had on Tuesday and today it’s both boxes that make the difference.

“Between both boxes there was lots of good stuff, particularly in the second half. But, like the games against Plymouth, Sheffield Wednesday and this week, we’ve lost the battle in both boxes and that’s something we need to be better at.”

Read Time: 3 mins