Ian Evatt was happy to see Bolton “stop the rot” courtesy of a 2-0 Sky Bet League One win over bottom club Crewe.

Josh Sheehan’s penalty and Amadou Bakayoko’s close-range finish in the space of five second-half minutes set up Wanderers for a badly-needed three points.

“The win was the most important thing,” said Evatt.

“In the first half Crewe were very deep and almost had a back six. And I understand the nerves and frustration from the crowd.

“Had we won the last three or four games they would probably have viewed it as a good half of football. But you are not going to create chance after chance, especially playing a low block. You have to be patient.

“It was a long October so it was important we won at all costs.

“We know we need to be better and we will be better. We have stopped the rot, so to speak.

“In the second half, we came out fast and got the two goals. But they had nothing to lose and started passing the ball and because of our run we became fearful and nervous.”

Crewe remain six points adrift of safety and boss Dave Artell said: “A crazy 10 minutes cost us the game.

“Bolton get booed off at half-time and the manager is getting a bit of abuse because we have frustrated them.

“We are not in the position to go toe-to-toe with Bolton. But when a team gets frustrated by half-time, you think another 15-20 minutes and you have got them.

“They would have to take more chances and the game would be more open. But it was a crazy 10 minutes.

“I haven’t seen the penalty back but the referee is closer. I thought the referee was very card-happy. He booked their lad (Kachunga) after 30 seconds and I didn’t see what he did wrong.

“But I am not blaming the ref. He gave it. Our lad (Luke Offord) chested the ball straight to their lad and that can’t happen at any level. You give the referee opportunity to give the penalty so you can’t blame anyone but ourselves.

“The second goal was terrible to give away, with two or three mistakes from our point of view.”

Artell, however, was full of praise for 17-year-old debutant Zac Williams, who almost pulled a goal back with a 59th-minute header.

“For a 17-year-old kid making his debut, I thought he was outstanding,” he said. “He was our best player, which shows where we are at and where he is at.”