Ian Evatt wants his players to bounce back from a rare recent defeat when they face potential top-six rivals Peterborough, writes Pete Oliver.
Wanderers’ 2-0 reverse at table-toppers Birmingham City on Tuesday night was their first League One loss in six games.
The result left Evatt’s men in mid-table but victory at the Toughsheet Community Stadium on Saturday would lift the Whites above Peterborough – having played two games fewer – and possibly into the early play-off places.
“We've won five games out the last seven, which at any stage of the season is a difficult thing to do, and drawn another one,” said Evatt. “It's no disgrace in losing the game on Tuesday. They're an exceptional team and an anomaly at this level with the money they've spent and the players they've got available.
“We lost out in the big moments and we have to learn from it and go again and when you suffer defeats, which you're going to do at any level of football, it's important you bounce back in the next game and that's our focus on Saturday.
“I'm not really taking too much notice about league tables at the moment with the extra games we’ve got to come. But it's very tight and a similar run to the one we've just been on can fire us to where we want to be.
“Our focus is just on the next game. We know it's difficult, we know it's a challenge, and we expect them to be there or thereabouts this season. Winning the game would be huge for us and just to respond to a defeat is always important.”
Like Wanderers, Peterborough haven’t fully found top gear since seeing their promotion push come up short last season, although a mid-week 5-1 win over Blackpool underlined the threat Darren Ferguson’s side carries.
Posh have conceded the most and scored the most goals in League One this season and Evatt hopes defender Eoin Toal will pass a concussion test to return and help nullify the visitors and give his own side a more natural look.
On the down side, Kyle Dempsey’s impressive run is under threat after the midfielder was sent for a scan on the knee injury he felt at Birmingham and Evatt admits losing big players, including goalkeeper Nathan Baxter and midfield man George Thomason, has made life harder.
“That is a frustration,” admitted the Wanderers’ boss, who could be without half-a-dozen senior players against Peterborough when he will also serve the final game of his three-match touchline ban.
“We signed Chris Forino to make an impact in the spine of the team as well. Football always brings challenges but all we can do is look ourselves in the mirror and say that we are trying our absolute best and giving it our absolute all and we know what we are capable of.
“Sometimes you have to weather many storms in a football season and we seem to have weathered a few already this season. But we will keep going and keep fighting on and, fingers crossed, we can get the result we need on Saturday.”
It has been a testing few months for the Whites but they remain in touch with the promotion places thanks to their recent good run and with players still to return to strengthen the squad. And Evatt is determined to maintain an upbeat mood in the camp by deflecting criticism and urging backing for his players.
“I'm trying as much as I can to block that out and try and keep the players confident,” he said. “It's no good to anyone, negative and feeling negative. For the players to perform we need them to be confident and need them to be full of belief.
“That can only happen with positivity, so I'll give them as much of that as I possibly can, giving them my backing, giving them my belief and hopefully we can go out and play a good game and execute a good win.
“It (home support) makes a difference and you could sense that from St Andrew’s on Tuesday and we've had it in spells and stages as well. It makes it very challenging for the opposition when the home crowd are buoyant and intense and intimidating. Fingers crossed we can create a really raucous atmosphere on Saturday and make it challenging for them.”
Watch the manager’s full pre-match interview and hear from current acting captain George Johnston on Wanderers TV HERE