Owen Coyle happy with his team's performance in Friday evening's friendly
Wanderers boss Owen Coyle said he is looking forward to the start of the competitive action after watching his team record a merited draw in the final fixture of pre-season.
Bolton proved more than a match for Barcelona B, earning a 2-2 draw in a game when they twice battled back from falling behind.
“We knew that this would provide a good workout for us in our final pre-season match,” said Coyle.
“You could see at Tranmere the progress over the first six games and tonight we stepped up another level.
“It was a high intensity 90 minutes and I felt we looked comfortable on the ball. We passed and moved it well and created chances.
“You know what you will get against Barca B and we had a good shape when they were in possession.
“We scored two good goals and once again rotated through the squad. The only player missing was David.
“We were disappointed to concede the goals we did, saying that we worked their goalkeeper several times, with both Benik and Martin coming close in the second half.
“We'll be back on the training ground next week as we prepare for our season opener against Burnley next Saturday.
“We’ve been looking to get each player featuring in four full games over the pre-season schedule, and we’ve managed to achieve that goal without picking up any significant knocks and setbacks.
“We’ve welcomed back both Tyrone Mears and Chung-Yong Lee to full fitness, and you can see what they add to the squad.
“On top of that, Keith Andrews, Matt Mills and Benik had their first run-outs at the Reebok, and they have all settled in well.
“We had almost 7,000 here for this game, so again thanks to all the fans who came out tonight and who have supported us on our travels in the last few weeks.”