Ian Evatt backs shootout hero Luke Southwood to push for Bolton number one spot

Ian Evatt backed Bolton’s penalty shootout hero Luke Southwood to push for a more regular starting place after his side’s Carabao Cup victory over Mansfield.

The Trotters debutant keeper saved one penalty during the first five regulation kicks before stopping the vital sudden-death effort from Will Swan to send Bolton through 5-4 on penalties, after the match had finished 1-1.

“Luke wants to show everyone how good he can be which is only good for Nathan Baxter,” said Wanderers boss Evatt of the Northern Ireland international.

“Nathan has been brilliant for us but he also needs to be pushed and Luke has come to the club to do that.

“He hasn’t got the attitude ‘I’m here as a number two’. He wants to compete for the number one spot and that can only bode well for us.”

George Thomason scored a stunning 68th-minute opener for Wanderers but that was cancelled out seven minutes from time by fellow substitute Davis Keillor-Dunn.

Town boss Nigel Clough said: “I was pleased with our performance from start to finish. But it is a cruel way to lose.

“We needed one out of two penalties to win it so I don’t think we deserved that.

“It was a brilliant finish from them (Thomason) but I am not happy with the way we conceded.

“We shouldn’t have given the free-kick away in the first place. However, the opportunities were there throughout but they didn’t quite go our way.”