Ian Evatt urged everyone to keep the faith after seeing his side come from behind to go into the international break in winning form, writes Pete Oliver.
Wanderers struck three times after half time to secure a 3-1 victory at Barrow and a successful start to their Group D campaign in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy.
Evatt’s men now have a breather before returning to League One action at home to Huddersfield Town on Saturday-week.
And the Wanderers’ boss is calling on a collective belief to help his side build on progress in the cups and a four-point return in the league to kick on in their challenge.
Evatt said: “These players love playing for this club. We’re a really tight-knit group. I believe in them and they believe in me. I think sometimes we have to do that more often and just play with confidence.
“Our fans were excellent tonight, to travel up here on a Tuesday night. They were fantastic. They really backed us and really supported us and I’m pleased we managed to win for them.
“Togetherness is key. The way that we play takes a lot of courage and bravery and we need people to be on side and on board with us and give us the confidence to play that way.
“I understand the frustration. We’re all frustrated. Saturday was very frustrating at times, given we had 21 shots to their six and lost the game to two set-plays.
“I understand the booing and the out-pouring but please stay with us and believe in us. Please believe in us because we’re going to do all we can to have a successful season and improve. We’ll keep striving to improve.”
Wanderers bounced back from a first home league defeat of 2024 to Exeter City to beat Barrow with three-goals in a stunning 12-minute burst from the front three of John McAtee, Aaron Collins and Kyle Dempsey.
The trio all opened their accounts for the season as the Whites finally made their pressure pay to secure a confidence-boosting result.
“We got there in the end and I think everyone relaxed and I think we deserved to win,” Evatt - who is hopeful a first-half injury to Jordi Otsei-Tutu is not too serious - told Wanderers TV after a successful return to the club he led back into the EFL four years ago.
“This was a game we were down to 11 players. We’ve got the international lads away and we’ve got a lot of injuries. I asked the lads for a big effort and they gave it me. This is a tough place to come. I know that first-hand.
“I thought a lot of our play was good quality. We had a lot of dangerous attacks and once we started to relax and finish our attacks with an action – whether it be a shot, or cross or finish it was a lot better.
“This is a talented team. We’re frustrated we’ve lost a couple of games this season but it’s only two out of seven. Sometimes it feels a lot worse than that.
“We were disappointed with the way we lost on Saturday with two set-plays and another set-play tonight, which is something we need to get better at and tighten up on.
“We’re going to work really hard to make the happen. We haven’t shown our best yet. We know that. But it’s exciting for me that the best is still to come because I know these players are capable of a high level.”
Watch the manager’s full post-match interview on Wanderers TV