BOLTON Wanderers manager Ian Evatt expects his side's meeting with Colchester United tomorrow to be the toughest so far of his team's unbeaten streak.

The Trotters have embarked on a dazzling 13-match unbeaten run - 11 wins and two draws - to move up to fourth spot in League Two.

No team in the country can boast a better unbeaten streak than Bolton right now and they will be looking to continue it against the U's, who are battling to beat the drop.

However, Evatt has reminded his players what he expects of them at the University of Bolton tomorrow, despite their visitors' poor run of form. (kick-off 1pm).

Evatt said: “I’ve said to the players this morning I’m under no illusions that this is going to be the toughest game of our run so far.

“I think that for a number of reasons - one, everyone expects us to win, there’s a different kind of pressure.

"Number two, Colchester are actually playing a lot better than the results suggest.

"They’ve got some good attacking players, good attacking weapons and they can counter-attack fast, so we have to make sure we’re reliable in possession and we limit transitions.

“We have to give them the respect they deserve. They are fighting for their lives and they have some good players who were in the play-offs last year. They are not a bad team.

“Yes, they have not had good results of late but everyone comes here and raises their game, lifts their game, especially now we’ve got even more of a target on our back with how we’re performing.

“Players need to get their heads around that and make sure they perform to the levels that I expect.

"If they do that, we’ve got a great opportunity to win the game.

"Unless they give them the respect they deserve, we could get hurt, like we did against Walsall, where we took a punch on the chin and we had to come out swinging second half.

“Hopefully, we are not going to have to do that again and we can manage the game from start to finish.”

Colchester yesterday appointed Hayden Mullins as their head coach until the end of the season.

He replaces Wayne Brown after just five weeks and Evatt admits that came as a surprise to him but the Bolton boss is nevertheless expecting a tough battle.

“It’s obviously strange timing but I think with the results that they have had that gap seems to be smaller and smaller, week on week,” Evatt said.

“Normally when you have a change of manager, you have that initial impact, a bit like Barrow have, really.

“When (Mike) Jolley left Barrow, Rob Kelly took over and I think they won four of their next five or something like that.

“You do get that initial burst and then it’s about maintaining it, but I’m guessing the Colchester chairman (Robbie Cowling) wants that initial reaction to get them enough points to keep them safe in this division.”