Bolton Wanderers manager Ian Evatt has admitted that he won’t rush striker Dion Charles back to action despite the temptation to thrust him back into the team.
The 28-year-old made his long awaited return to the squad at the weekend, coming off the bench as a late substitute in the 1-1 draw with Portsmouth. He had been out of action since picking up a knee injury in the 2-1 win over Wycombe Wanderers in February.
Despite missing two months of the campaign, Charles remains the club’s top scorer with 17 goals in all competitions. His absence coincided with the Trotters losing ground in the race for automatic promotion from League One, although second-placed Derby County have dropped points in recent weeks to open up an opportunity.
Evatt’s team have played a game less with the gap sitting at four points. They host struggling Shrewsbury Town this evening in that extra fixture. Three points would make for an exciting end to the campaign, with the two teams fighting for a place in the Championship.
Tonight’s clash is a must-win, raising the temptation for the manager to call upon his talisman. However, speaking to Bolton News, the 42-year-old confirmed that the Northern Ireland international will start on the bench:
“There is a temptation, of course there is. But we also have to be realistic and I don’t think he is ready to start games now. I think we’d be taking a crazy risk by starting him and the last thing we need now is for him to break.
“It is frustrating for us all because we want him out there but he isn’t right yet. His minutes will be increased, and we felt the 10-15 minutes he gave us on Saturday was the maximum he could handle at the time.
“There will be some improvement tomorrow but he is not ready to start and it is an injury prevention thing more than anything else.”
Bolton welcome relegation-threatened Port Vale to the Toughsheet Community Stadium on Saturday before ending their campaign with a tough trip to Peterborough United.
Writer’s View
We’ve seen so many times over the years that players returning from injury have been rushed back, only to suffer an immediate reoccurence. Evatt’s decision to ease him back in would have been made reluctantly, although it is the right course of action to take.
Should Bolton find themselves in the play-offs, there is the potential of another three games to define their season and a fit-again Charles could prove to be the difference between Championship and League One football. However, Aaron Collins has proved to be a worthy successor in his absence, scoring five goals in the last three outings.
