Elias Kachunga responds to being 'caught out vs Wigan with Bolton showing against Pompey

Ian Evatt felt that Elias Kachunga was 'caught out' to an extent against Wigan Athletic over the weekend but he returned to showing the form he can do with the impact he made from the bench against Portsmouth for Bolton Wanderers.

Aiden O'Brien put Pompey ahead early in the second half, after Dapo Afolayan had gone closest to breaking the deadlock before half-time and forced a good save from Portsmouth goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu.

But Wanderers responded to going behind with Kachunga coming off the bench to win a penalty and Kieran Sadlier fired home to earn Bolton a share of the spoils.

READ MORE: Bolton Wanderers boss Ian Evatt on Portsmouth draw & injuries to Santos, Afolayan & Dempsey

Kachunga started against the Latics on Saturday but did not make much of an impact as he was withdrawn before the hour mark had passed.

The attacker replaced Afolayan in the encounter at the University of Bolton Stadium last night and he added fresh energy and impetus from the bench, winning the penalty which led to Sadlier levelling and the spoils being shared.

Evatt was full of praise for the duo and was happy that Kachunga came off the bench to impact the encounter, while Sadlier demonstrated his versatility.

He said: “We chucked Kacha in the deep end on Saturday, he’s missed a long time through injury and those types of games are so fast that it just probably caught him out a little bit, but we think he’s a really good player.

"We’re really pleased with all of our players and he’s shown tonight what he can do. He came on and impacted the game and that’s what we require from the bench.

“That’s not his (Sadlier's) natural position, wing-back, he’s more of a forward player or a 10, but at the moment needs must. We’ve lost Marlon