IAN Evatt wasn’t getting carried away after watching his Wanderers side in action for the first time in a top secret game at Atherton Colls this afternoon.

A practice match was played behind closed doors at the Skuna Stadium, with Eoin Doyle and Dennis Politic among the scorers in a 3-0 victory.

A handful of trialists were also used over 90 minutes – one of which scored the afternoon’s second goal – as the Whites head coach continued to assess his options ahead of the new League Two campaign.

Evatt was pleased with aspects of the performance but maintains there is huge scope for improvement as the team continues to settle into a new style of play.

Speaking to The Bolton News, he said: “It’s always going to be frantic, the first time you get out there, and the pitch was very dry so it didn’t really suit a passing game but I saw some positive signs. Am I happy? No. But I am a perfectionist.

“We will keep working hard on the training pitch but we haven’t really done much in terms of team shape or 11 v 11 so far. We will develop that throughout the pre-season and, for now, it’s about getting fitness into them.

“To play the way we are going to play you have to be extremely fit. We have pushed them hard over the last two weeks and we will start building that content, the shape and the structure over the next few weeks.”

Wanderers returned to the training ground just under a fortnight ago and though the game at Colls was not billed as an official friendly, it represented the first time Evatt was able to see his team in full-sided action.

Physically, he sees improvement – but is again looking for more as the pre-season continues with the possibility of six more games to be played before the planned start on September 12.

“I am never happy,” he said. “I strive for perfection and the lads understand that, I won’t give them a minute.

“I think I’m a genuinely nice fella, but when we step on to the grass it is strictly business.

“The lads have to give me that intensity every single second whether it’s a pass, a run, you have to do it like you mean it. You have to give it that importance.

“They are doing well, they really are, but we need to improve every single day.

“The best teams that are possession-based – Liverpool, Manchester City, Leeds United – are all incredibly fit. Sometimes you need to work harder on the ball than without it, so we’re on with that.”