Chesterfield favourite Ian Evatt leaves Bolton Wanderers
Chesterfield favourite Ian Evatt has left Bolton Wanderers by ‘mutual consent.’
The 43-year-old departs after four-and-a-half years at the Trotters. He led them to promotion from League Two in 2021 and won the EFL Trophy in 2023. They were one win away from the Championship last season but lost the play-off final to Oxford United at Wembley.
A 2-1 home defeat to Charlton Athletic on Tuesday night left them ninth in the League One table, three points off the play-offs, and that was Evatt’s last game in charge.
He has been under pressure for some time but was backed by chairman Sharon Brittan only last month, saying that he had her full support, but now they have parted ways. Evatt was the fifth longest serving manager in the Premier League and EFL
The former defender played for Chesterfield for seven years across two spells, making more than 200 appearances, winning the League Two title in 2014. He had a short spell as caretaker manager at the end of the 2017/18 season as the Spireites were relegated to the National League.
In a statement, Evatt said: “There comes a point in football when a change needs to happen and the last thing I want is to damage what we have all built together.”
And Brittan added: “Ian arrived at a challenging time for Bolton Wanderers Football Club and his dedication to rebuilding both on and off the pitch has been commendable.”