Dougie Freedman takes positives from Everton defeat

Bolton Wanderers manager Dougie Freedman has praised his team's effort in today's FA Cup fourth-round defeat to Everton.

John Heitinga's last-minute goal saw the Toffees win 2-1 at the Reebok Stadium and put their name in the hat for the fifth round.

"Looking at the game, I thought we performed very well but we're obviously disappointed with the end result," said Freedman. "We were maybe a little bit nervous in the opening 10 or so minutes, but once we settled I thought we were fantastic.

"Everton are a top side pushing for a place in the Champions League and they showed that. The end result is difficult to take and I feel for our fans, whose backing was magnificent today.

"There are plenty of positives for us to take away from the game. We also created a lot of opportunities and defended very well. It was a good all-round performance."

Bolton travel to Watford next Saturday.