Ian Evatt praised his players’ “guts, determination and team spirit” as unbeaten Bolton moved up to seventh in Sky Bet League One after a 2-1 win over Oxford.

Dapo Afolayan and Eoin Doyle each scored their second goals in three games for newly promoted Wanderers to cancel out Matty Taylor’s 11th-minute opener for Karl Robinson’s side.

Doyle headed in a 63rd-minute winner to mark his 50th game for the club in style.

“I am very much one to judge us on our football prowess and how we play the game,” said manager Evatt.

“But today you can’t help but admire the guts, determination and team spirit. That got us over the line.

“The higher you go up the levels against these competitive teams, the game can be decided on a set play. It won us the game.

“Oxford are a good team. After Tuesday (victory at Lincoln) and the energy and effort that took to perform like that, Oxford were probably the worst opponents to play because they are all energy.

“We were disappointed with the first goal, it was clearly handball but these things happen.

“I am pleased though how we galvanised ourselves and got ourselves back in the game.

“I am a firm believer that hard work can put you where luck can find you.

Ahead of Tuesday’s Carabao Cup derby at Wigan, Evatt also took time out to criticise comments from Latics new boy James McClean, who suggested Bolton had been interested in signing him.

“If that’s the case he needs to communicate with his agent because he didn’t stop ringing me for three weeks after I told him ‘no’,” said Evatt.

“We have read them (the quotes), we have laughed and smiled at them.

“We were never interested in McClean. It was his agent trying to get him to us. Whether they have used us to try and get a better deal out of Wigan, I don’t know.

“To come out and make a statement like that is false.”

Despite watching his side lose for the first time this season, United boss Robinson was happy with the effort shown by last season’s beaten play-off semi-finalists.

“I was pleased with the performance and to come here with so many players missing and to play like that bodes well for the future,” he said.

“Looking back later in the season this could be a big game for us.”

Robinson, whose side missed a stoppage-time chance to equalise from Gavin Whyte, added: “We deserved more than we got.

“We had even better chances than that and we should have done better.

“It’s all about us tightening the bolts and if our decision-making had been better in both boxes we could have got something out of the game.”