Stevenage were definitely deserving of a point against Bolton Wanderers said manager Steve Evans - and there was a good argument to say they could have got all three.

Boro drew 0-0 in their Good Friday game with a side chasing automatic promotion from League One and despite making eight changes, this was a performance that had all the trademarks and traits of a Stevenage side from earlier in the season.

There was a hunger, a desire to win the ball back early and a concentration level that never wavered across the course of the afternoon.

It was something not lost on the Boro boss.

Evans said: "It was important that we freshened it up and I thought we did really well. 

"We went toe to toe with a really good Bolton side, they are a terrific side and you can see the options they've got, not only to start with but to come off the bench. 

"I was hesitant to make changes because the longer the game went, I felt we could catch them and score. 

"What I'll go away from this game is remembering how good a side Bolton are and what a job Ian’s done, I'll go away wondering why a player doesn't get sent off when Jamie Reid is through on goal and I'll go away thinking we should win the game with a Thommo chance. 

"In fairness to Ben Thompson, he was superb all afternoon, but a point was hard earned."

That chance for Thompson in the second half will probably rest heavy on his mind but was one of a number of chances that Boro fashioned, most of which just didn't quite fall right.

Evans said: "Jamie has got into one or two positions and the ball just didn't fall kindly enough for him to get a first-time effort away, which always gives goalkeepers a problem. 

"But the testament to us is if anyone deserves to win the game, we do.  

"I’m pleased with the players and we’ll freshen the group up [for Charlton]. We’ve got some big players back available for selection. 

"The mistake we made after we came out of Peterborough was we went with the same team and we really lacked energy.  

"We had lots of energy against Bolton."