Bolton Wanderers injury update ahead of Bristol Rovers clash
Dan Nlundulu has had successful surgery on his hamstring injury, says Wanderers boss Ian Evatt.

The 24-year-old forward suffered the injury during the 2-0 win against Port Vale in the EFL Trophy round of 32.

He had been starting to hit form after a difficult start to the campaign but now faces a spell on the sidelines.

Evatt confirmed the Whites have no fresh injury concerns following their defeat at Portsmouth on Monday night.

However, Josh Sheehan is suspended after picking up his fifth booking of the campaign for a foul on Joe Morrell.

Injuries, I think we are OK,” he said. “There are some bumps and bruises, it was quite a physical game for us on Monday.

“But I think everyone is fine, other than the ones who are missing. Dan has had his surgery and it went very well. Now he is on the road to recovery, which is good news.”

The Bolton boss has had chance to watch back the Pompey defeat and reflect on his side’s display at Fratton Park.

“We have been on a great run and having reviewed the game a couple of times, just for some clarity really, I think first half we were the better team,” he explained.

“I think the (Charles) chance changes everything. We were in a really good spell and obviously it was a critical chance, but we didn’t take it.

“We conceded a goal at the worst possible time and then second half, we just didn’t recover from those instances.

“I am not trying to make excuses but looking at the bigger picture, that is as tough as it is going to get.

“I have played there before and a Monday night, under the lights with a full house, an intense atmosphere and a tight pitch. It is hard to play the way we want to play and even the best teams find it difficult in those scenarios.

We had spells first half, and second half we underperformed. For us, it is just a reset. That is how we have to treat it.”

It was Wanderers’ first defeat since October 7 against Carlisle, and Evatt hopes it will have a positive impact on the squad heading into the busy Christmas period.

“Sometimes losing games can be beneficial because it gives you that desire to have that winning feeling again,” he said.

“Once you are on a roll and winning games consistently, sometimes that line between confidence and complacency becomes an issue.

“I don’t think we were complacent on Monday, I think they stopped us and we ended up beating ourselves.

“We can now reset and focus on getting back to winning ways on Saturday because nobody likes that feeling we had after Monday.”