With injuries to Eoin Doyle and Amadou Bakayoko, Bolton Wanderers are very light up front as they look to address a run of one win in seven in League One.

Elias Kachunga led the line in the club's 1-0 defeat at Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday as Ian Evatt does not have a specialist alternative to turn to.

The former Barrow manager gave an honest assessment on Doyle's situation when he spoke to The Bolton News.

He said: "He (Eoin Doyle) is close and he is wanting to put himself forward but a 50 per cent Eoin Doyle is no good to anybody. We need him to be able to hit the ground running when he comes back."

The Trotters have a nice run of fixtures coming up before the turn of the year to push themselves back up the table before looking to recruit in the January transfer window.

Their chances of bridging the nine point gap between themselves and the play-off places in that time takes a significant dent in the absence of both of Wanderers' striking options. Doyle brings so much experience to the side and has been very effective in combination with Oladapo Afolayan this season, the Irishman's return to form could hold the key to a Bolton resurgence.

The Verdict

Doyle has struggled in front of goal this season, scoring six, just three in the league, from 9.09 expected goals, but it is a positive that he has been getting into goalscoring positions.

Bolton welcome 23rd placed Doncaster Rovers to The UniBol on Tuesday evening, the visitors have not won a league game since late October but may be optimistic about their chances against the injury-ravaged Trotters. Doyle's return would give the Bolton supporters a boost going into the encounter, however Evatt is rightfully keen not to rush him back.

Kachunga should be able to do a satisfactory job in the meantime with the club definitely identifying targets for the transfer window.