Bolton Wanderers made a bold decision to appoint Ian Evatt as manager after he won the National League title with Barrow in the summer of 2020.

The former centre-back did not come across like the type of player who would have a huge future in management but in a short space of time, the 41-year-old has proven himself to be a very exciting prospect.

It seems like a match made in heaven at this point, with Evatt becoming a shareholder at the club in the last month or so, and with the way that the Trotters' board stuck by him during his first season with the club, despite Wanderers being in the bottom half of League Two around the turn of the year before putting together an incredible, similar to Bristol Rovers last season, to seal automatic promotion on the final day.

Bolton may fall below the likes of Derby County, Sheffield Wednesday, and Ipswich Town this term, though there would be no shame in doing so, but it appears inevitable that they will be up there again next season if promotion is not achieved this time around.

Evatt is the eighth longest-serving manager in the EFL and there could be a future scenario where he reaches the top of that list, with the patience that the board are willing to show and the upward mobility of the club that he is leading.

With their financial backing, promotion to the Championship should definitely be achieved in the next two seasons after this one if not before, and given the tactical nous that Evatt has shown up to this point, they would be in a very good position to stay there.

The former Barrow boss comes across as a very understanding manager, he is happy to speak to the media in a way that will affect his players in a positive manner, whether that be with brutal honesty or intense optimism, and has a demanding nature that is bringing more out of some individuals than they have demonstrated at previous clubs.

The sacking culture is one of the worst themes of EFL football at the moment, and Evatt's rise at Bolton just goes to show that having patience and confidence in an appointment will often pay dividends in the long run.

There would have been a section of the supporter base that wanted Evatt dismissed during the 2020/21 campaign and those same individuals may now be believing that he is the manager to take them back to the Premier League.

From what we have seen so far, there is nothing to suggest that Evatt cannot take the Trotters back to their former glory.