Ian Evatt hopes Bolton Wanderers fans can replicate their Stockport County counterparts when they make the trip to Edgeley Park next week for an FA Cup replay and spur their team onto success.
League One Wanderers hosted the National League side at the University of Bolton Stadium.
Backed by some 5,000 away supporters who were in fine voice throughout, the visitors took a shock lead when Scott Quigley put them in front, but Wanderers rallied and got back on level terms when Eoin Doyle equalised and then went ahead thanks to Elias Kachunga.
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But County equalised in first half stoppage time when Ben Whitfield slotted home, with the tie being taken to a replay at Edgeley Park and the game likely to be played on Tuesday, November 16.
Evatt hopes that Wanderers take a similar amount to Edgeley Park next week, but was pleased by the response his team showed to going behind.
He said: “I hope so, I hope we do because it can really rally the team and it rallied them today when they were hanging on second half, it gives the energy to the players, it gives them more energy levels and energy reserves to run that extra 10, 15 yards what’s needed to stop us from scoring.
“Hopefully we can take a similar amount of fans. I don’t know what Edgeley Park holds these days but hopefully we can sell out our away end and make things very difficult for them on the night.
“This was their day. It felt like everything was in their favour more or less, but the lads rallied themselves really well.
"They were very incisive for the two goals, got ourselves ahead, and then somehow from very little they’ve managed to score a second goal.
"Second half we had all of the ball, all of the possession, we just didn’t move it quickly enough and caused them enough problems.”
Young midfielder George Thomason played a short pass as Quigley put the visitors ahead, but Evatt was pleased with how the former Longridge Town man responded to the early setback with his performance.
And the Bolton boss also hailed striker Doyle after scoring in back to back games and the example he shows to the club's younger players.
Of Thomason, Evatt said: “The good thing for me from it all, even though it was a poor goal to concede and a mistake, is that he didn’t hide. It would have been easy for a young player to go under at that point and hide from the ball, but he kept on receiving it in tight areas.
"He kept his belief and that says a lot about his character.
“We’re asking a lot of him (Doyle) at the moment because we’re trying to regather our fitness levels from the ones that have been injured.
"We’ve been down to bear bones at the top of the pitch and Doyler, with injuries and with knocks and bruises has continued to put himself on the line, work tirelessly hard and he deserves his goal for the effort and commitment that he puts in.
“He’s a shining example to many of our young players and good for him to get a goal.”
