IAN Evatt described promotion with Wanderers as the greatest moment of his football career.

The Bolton boss saw his side hammer Crawley 4-1 to secure the points they need to finish third in League Two.

Antoni Sarcevic, Dapo Afolayan, Eoin Doyle and Lloyd Isgrove scored the goals at the People’s Pension Stadium, as Wanderers cruised to a well-deserved win to return to the third tier at the first time of asking.

After defeat to Exeter last weekend there were questions asked about the Whites’ promotion credentials – but Evatt was delighted to see his players respond in the perfect manner.

“I didn’t really want to say too much during the week because last weekend really hurt us as a squad, as a town, really,” he said.

“What it did mean is it made us determined not to let it happen again.

“Monday morning at 9am it was forgotten and the way they applied themselves this week and trained, I knew they were determined not to be second best today.

“I think the way we were so aggressive with our play. We passed it when we had to pass it, we mixed it, we ran forward, we got bodies in the box.

“I have been moaning at Dapo and Isgrove for the last few weeks about getting in the back post – the top teams, the wide players are always at the back post, and today Dapo got his reward.

“It was a huge performance from Sarce, it was great to have him back, but the lads deserve it, they have been absolutely incredible.

“The ones who have been here from the very start, we have been through some tough times together – but boy does this feel good.”

Evatt earned promotions at every level of the Football League as a player and also guided Barrow up from the National League in his first managerial job last season.

But the task of turning Wanderers around after successive relegations was by far the greatest achievement of all, he said: “It is number one – and I don’t mean to disrespect the other clubs I have played for and had success with but nobody really knows what I have had to go through this season, only really the people closest to me, and it has been a big old ship to turn around.

“We slowly but surely built trust in the town. We had good people around me, good people at the football club, and all of a sudden we have reconnected with the town and the community again.

“It’s great to see John McGinlay here smiling and everyone happy. We had a vision for this football club but this is just the start.”

Wanderers now head into League One looking to capitalise on their momentum, and Evatt says his mind has already starting plotting another path to promotion.

“I am going to finish my beer first,” he said. “But we already have plans in place.

“We had firm belief that we would get promoted and we have been working extremely hard behind the scenes to get the right things in place.

“Recruitment is important and you are only as good as the players on the pitch. We need to get that right because we haven’t of late, we didn’t until January, so this is just the start, I want to get this club back where I feel it belongs.

“One small step but plenty more to come.”

Hear Ian Evatt's full interview by clicking play below.