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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
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John McDougall

Ian Evatt criticises decisions over Plymouth Argyle 'timewasting' in Bolton Wanderers loss

Ian Evatt felt that referee Robert Lewis could have stamped out Plymouth Argyle's timewasting in the loss his Bolton Wanderers side suffered as he highlighted his only bugbear from the defeat.

Wanderers went behind just before half-time after Macaulay Gillesphey headed home from Jordan Houghton's corner.

The hosts switched to a back four early in the second half and Wanderers looked much better for it.

READ MORE: Bolton Wanderers player ratings vs Plymouth Argyle - Ricardo Santos and Jon Dadi Bodvarsson good

Dion Charles saw a header saved by Michael Cooper, while substitute Elias Kachunga was unable to convert a golden chance to equalise as Wanderers were unable to get back into the clash and slipped to a 1-0 loss at the University of Bolton Stadium.

The result has left Wanderers 10 points from the play-off places and means they are now firm outsiders for the top six this season.

Plymouth meanwhile keep pace with others in the race for the play-offs and sit sixth in the table.

After the visitors took the lead, a feature of the encounter was the Pilgrims running the clock down and wasting time to help pick up three valuable points on the road.

Wanderers boss Evatt took no issue with Plymouth for doing so as he admits is it part of the game and they are trying to win the encounter.

But Evatt feels more could have been done to police it and that adding minutes on, seven of them, at the end of the second half, does not matter as the momentum that Wanderers had and could have made the difference was by then lost.

He said: "“I think if you play the game again and you have exactly the same scenarios, we back ourselves to win it.

"We talk about fine margins a lot and that’s again the importance of set pieces. They can cost you games and you lose one aerial duel in the box and not challenge the way you should and you’re 1-0 down and you’re chasing the game.

"But we’ve done so much right again today, even when we changed to a four, we recognised that we could play out better with a four and cause them more problems and go back to 4-3-3. They took to it really well.

"We haven’t really worked on that since the new lads have come in but they just picked it up and we carried our momentum.

"The only slight bugbear is, and it’s no disrespect to Plymouth because they’re doing what they can to win the game and obviously they’re trying to break up our momentum, but the game management and the timewasting.

"It’s okay the referee adding on seven or eight minutes, he can say we’ve added it on, but it’s the damage it does to our momentum and the disruption it gives us that causes the most problems and unless they deal with those situations and understand that, it’s going to continue to happen.

“It doesn’t really matter what they add on because you never really get that time back. The momentum’s gone and we’ve got all the momentum at the right stages and the right times, so that’s my one disappointment, but other than that I’m pleased with the way the players have played. We just haven’t taken our chances.

“You can’t coach (against timewasting). You have to rely on officials and there’s nothing against Plymouth for doing it because they’re doing what they can to win the game.

"That is professional and it’s game management but you have to rely on the officials to deal with it and it doesn't matter about adding the time on because it’s the momentum that hinders us.

"We’ve got all the momentum in the game and the way they slowed it down just killed our momentum and by the time you get that time, you don’t really get it back because the game’s different then.

"We’ve not got a head of steam up and it means they can continue to do it. If the referee just books someone first instance, it cuts it out straight away, but looking at his watch and adding it on, for me it just causes more disruption.”

READ MORE:Bolton Wanderers clarity on Wigan Athletic clash as Portsmouth League One question remains

READ MORE:Ricardo Santos clarifies Bolton Wanderers contract talks stance and verdict on Plymouth Argyle

For more news about Bolton Wanderers, click here

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