"They couldn't get near us.." 'Speechless' Bolton Wanderers boss says they have 'loaned' Sheffield Wednesday three points

The Trotters missed a handful of chances in a scrappy game Evatt claimed they ‘dominated’.

“It is very rare for me to be speechless and I sat quiet for a few minutes in there because I needed time to think. I didn’t know whether to have a go at them or praise them. And I don’t think I can have a go at them,” he said.

“To come here and dominate the whole game, not just a half, and play like that is exceptional and we created chance after chance and didn’t take them. They have one shot in each half and one ends in a goal.

“Against the better teams in this league – Sunderland, Sheffield Wednesday away – that is all they need."

Evatt, a former Chesterfield defender, went on to suggest he had seen plenty in the performance to suggest his side can go on to finish in the playoff places this season.

“I don’t care who we play, Sunderland, Sheffield Wednesday, Wigan home or away, we could score six and that’s not arrogance,” he said. “It is based on the clear cut opportunities we are creating.

“We spoke about it the other day, you come here and it almost doesn’t feel like a defeat. I am proud of how the players played.

“Yes, there will be frustrations that we haven’t won. We should have won it. But if we keep playing like that we will not be far away.”

Wednesday switched from three at the back to a back four at half-time thanks to injuries to Lewis Gibson and Sam Hutchinson.

“I know it is a massive opportunity missed, we dominated the whole game,” he said. “They are changing systems, going three, four at the back, because they can’t get near us.

“Our solutions, problem solving and rotations were brilliant. On another day we win four or five one. But we didn’t – we just have to continue striving to be more ruthless.

“We have loaned them the three points.

“They have to come to our place still and we need to be more ruthless.”