Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565 The Carabao Cup might not be the top priority for Hurst this season, but the second-round tie does offer an opportunity to lift the mood after a tough start to the League One campaign. Town sit bottom of the table after losing all three league matches, their only success coming via a penalty shoot-out against Notts County in the first round of the cup.
But while Saturday’s visit of a Leyton Orient team also seeking their first point of the campaign is looming large, Hurst sees Bolton’s visit as a chance to boost morale. “We spoke about it this morning. You want that winning feeling in the dressing room,” he said.
“It makes everyone’s next day better. You probably sleep a bit better. That is myself, players, staff and fans to a degree.
We know how passionate they are and how results can affect the mood.” Town go into the tie on the back of their best performance of the season to date in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Huddersfield. Major changes to the line-up are unlikely, partly because Hurst does not have the luxury of depth in his squad to do so.
That is not the case with the visiting boss Ian Evatt, who made wholesale changes as his team edged past Mansfield on spot-kicks earlier in the first round. “I do think some teams disrespect the competition and it seems odd in terms of some of the teams which get put out,” said Hurst. “I would not include Bolton in that.
They are fortunate in .