Bolton Wanderers have seen a fall from grace since their Championship days and are now firmly in League Two after successive relegations. It’s been hard times for the Lancastrians. After Saturday’s encounter with Cambridge United, boss Ian Evatt delivered some ‘hard times’ to loanee Billy Crellin.
Crellin, who has been credited with a number of errors whilst between the sticks for Bolton felt the sharp end of Evatt’s tongue. The stopper, on loan from League One Fleetwood Town, was told by Evatt that he had to “man up” according to the Bolton News (above).
Bolton’s trip to Cambridge saw them return to the Macron with a single point after a 1-1 draw. It was a result which saw the Trotters nestled in a somewhat disappointing 18th place in the league table.
Commenting on his choice of phraseology to Crellin, Evatt admitted that he could have chosen his words carefully, yet stands firmly behind the reason for him commenting as such.
Elaborating on his “man up” comments, Evatt said:
“The terminology should have been better. And I apologise for that if any offence has been caused. What I’d meant was that there is a big step up between junior football and senior football and that Billy does have to get to grips with that as soon as possible.“
Evatt, who’s come into criticism for his comments, said that what he said in the media was no different to what he said personally to Crellin about the concerns that he had about his performances.
20-year-old Crellin, an England Under-20 international, has featured in eight games for Bolton since arriving on loan, conceding 12 goals and keeping one clean sheet. Next up for him and the Trotters is a Tuesday evening home game against Bradford City, another side struggling for consistency in League Two.
