Ian Evatt believes the time is right to sign up for more as his side prepares for their play-off bid.
Evatt has penned a new deal to remain at Wanderers until June, 2026 and extend his current three-year stint as manager.
Since his appointment, the 41-year-old has guided Wanderers up from League Two and into the top six of League One, as well as leading the Whites to a first cup success in 34 years via the Papa Johns Trophy.
Wanderers now have a chance of a second promotion in three years after booking their place in the play-offs with game to spare ahead of Sunday’s finale at Bristol Rovers.
But with Wanderers already making huge strides forward on and off the pitch under Evatt and the ownership of Football Ventures (Whites), all parties were happy to seal a deal now to make sure Evatt remains in charge for the foreseeable future.
“I have a huge amount of belief in Sharon (Brittan), this journey and this football club and that will continue,” said Evatt, who had 12 months to run on his existing contract.
“I think both sides are extremely happy with how we’re progressing and the journey continues.
“I think it’s really important, the timing of the message. Regardless of what happens in the play-offs I’m very much committed to Sharon, the Board and this football club and vice-versa.
“Me committing to this football club and this football club committing to me was going to happen, regardless of the outcome of this month.
“We all want promotion and we’re all going to do our extreme best to get promoted, but win, lose or draw, the journey continues and we progress on that upward curve.”
Evatt has made no secret of his desire to take Wanderers back up to the Championship and hopefully as far as the Premier League in his time in charge.
And he now has the mandate to try and pursue that ambition in the coming years.
“We know what we’ve got here and we’re nowhere near where we want to be,” added Evatt, whose immediate focus is on trying to finish fifth in the table with a positive result at Bristol Rovers this weekend.
“We’ve kind of only just begun. We’re just scratching the surface now and there’s huge amounts of progression to come.
“It’s not a time for pats on the back. It’s a time for commitment, a show of unity and to move on together.
“I can’t thank the fans enough for the support they’ve given me over my three years so far. We’ve had some highs and some lows and some good times.
“Let’s continue on the journey. We’re delighted with the way things are going but there’s still lots of hard work to go and let’s keep humble and hard working and try and keep this upward curve going.
“Progress is the word of the day, really, and we’ll try and continue that.”