Ian Evatt wants his side to get over their ‘bump in the road’ when they look to continue their impressive home run against Forest Green Rovers.
Wanderers saw their eight-match unbeaten record come to an end with a 2-1 defeat at Derby County on Saturday.
Evatt’s men weren’t at their best but still lost by just a single goal to side now unbeaten in 18 matches and rapidly climbing up the League One table.
Derby moved three points clear of the Whites inside League One’s top six with a fifth win in six league games as they look to secure an instant return to the Championship.
But with Wanderers still in the play-off places – and with a semi-final of the Papa Johns Trophy to look forward to next month – Evatt’s won’t allow the loss to de-rail his team’s progress two seasons on from promotion from the basement division.
“We under-performed on the day,” admitted the Wanderers’ boss.
“When we’re coming from where we’ve come from, and we’re on the journey we are on together, we’re going to hit bumps in the road and it’s about how we react to those bumps in the road.
“Saturday was a bump in the road. We’re frustrated and disappointed but it doesn’t mean it’s the end of the journey or we’re not going to meet our destination or end-goal.
“Our fans (at Derby) were outstanding. They always are and we’re gutted we couldn’t get them a result on Saturday. But we shouldn’t lose heart. We shouldn’t lose faith. This is very much a journey.
“We’ve hit a bit of a snag, a bump in the road, that’s always going to happen.
“It’s about how we react to those bumps. Tomorrow night we need a reaction.”
Wanderers will be looking for a third successive home win and ninth game without defeat in all competitions at the University of Bolton Stadium when they face Forest Green on Tuesday night.
The Whites have no new injury concerns following their loss at Pride Park, although Evatt may look to ‘freshen things up’ slightly as his side plays their sixth of seven games during January.
And Evatt is expecting a positive response against the league’s bottom club, who are likely to include former Wanderers’ striker Amadou Bakayoko following his move to the New Lawn earlier this month.
“Baka had some very good times here, scored some very important goals and we’ll welcome him back with open arms,” Evatt added.
“There’s no ill feeling there. We just need to make sure we’re focused on our own performance and our own process. If we get that right, I believe we can get a positive result and I still believe there’s a lot of success to be had this season.
“We’re still in a good position and we’ve got a chance and an opportunity to put Saturday right with a good performance and a win.”