JOSH Sheehan doubts any of the Wanderers squad have hit the levels expected of them this season but remains insistent that there is time for that to change.

The Welsh midfielder returned to action after missing the last nine games in all competitions with a hamstring issue.

Before he was sidelined, Bolton were placed seventh and level on points with the play-offs, but after falling away sightly over Christmas they do have a chance to draw alongside Stockport County in sixth with a win against Charlton Athletic tonight.

Sheehan accepts the inconsistency shown so far has eroded the confidence on the terraces but he feels it is up to the players to help restore some belief.

“I think it is all of us as a squad, to be honest,” he said. “I don't think it's 11 players because obviously (Evatt) changes his team a lot so you can’t just blame (a few players).

“It's one of them where I think from Monday morning when we're training, as a squad, as a team, we need to pick it up. We need to be at it every day and going forward, if we perform on the training pitch then we can take it into the game.

“We just all need to be at it and be ready because we know we're here to fight for each other.”

“One minute we can be good and one minute we're not so good. We just need to get back to our standard levels of performing and giving ourselves the best chance to win. Recently, we haven’t been performing anywhere near what we want.”

Wanderers did climb one place with their draw against Cambridge United at the weekend but the performance left fans feeling flat.

Sheehan has given up checking the table, however, and believes the players must concentrate solely on their next step.

“We don't even look at the table, to be honest,” he said. “It's one of those where we're not far off but the expectations are up.

“I think as players, as a club, as fans, as a manager, we all expect to be higher and fight higher up the table.

“So, we've just got to concentrate on taking it game by game and just performing to our levels. If we can get to the performance levels that we want to get to, then we're going to win more games.

“This season so far we've been too inconsistent.”

Ian Evatt came under heavy fire from supporters in the second half of Saturday’s game and the Bolton boss reasoned afterwards that the more negative actions had come as a surprise to some of his players, particularly recent addition Joel Randall.

Sheehan hopes to keep focus and block out any distractions which might occur against Charlton.

“I think for us it's just doing what we do every day in training,” he said. “Just bring it onto the pitch because obviously in training it's easier when you haven't got a crowd making a noise in the background.

“We have all been chosen by the manager to come in and we are all comfortable on the ball, so go and show it on the pitch.

“Just go and prove yourself on the pitch and prove yourself to the fans. I don't know if this season any of us have performed to the levels that maybe we did last year.

“It is on us to do that when we step over the line.”