IT may well be beyond Wanderers’ reach to get involved in this season’s play-offs – but what a ride it still promises to be!

Had Ian Evatt’s swashbuckling side left Priestfield with seven goals to show for their afternoon’s work, not a single person could have uttered a word in complaint.

This was a group galvanised by grief, a collective show of support for Gethin Jones after the sad passing of his mum, Karen, but also one which looked determined to wrestle back control of their own narrative in the final 10 games.

Wholesale changes in January added undoubted quality, handing Bolton the tools they needed for a successful, if hectic, February. Yet putting so many ingredients into the mix at once had also deviated from the overall recipe. Wanderers 2.0 was improved but not necessarily on brand (Evatt).

This was a marked return to form, and what made it all the more satisfying was that it came against the sort of opposition which have been Bolton’s undoing so often in the last couple of seasons.

Gillingham’s requirements are basic, to get out of a bottom four they have occupied since November. And since the arrival of Neil Harris, there had been positive steps to that end.

The Gills beat Cambridge, Crewe, Lincoln and took points off AFC Wimbledon and Morecambe. Their combative style might not be to the taste of the purists, but it is effective. And it had given Evatt food for thought.

Wanderers had grabbed a draw at Morecambe without playing especially well, fired by a completely different motivation, but had been bullied in defeats to Burton, Fleetwood, Cambridge – end even against more prestigious opposition like Wycombe or Rotherham.

In almost every case the physical threats were well-known, the need for focus at set pieces, to avoid conceding silly fouls around the penalty area so as not to invite pressure, it was basic stuff which often dominated the pre-match discussion.

How would Bolton cope with Gillingham’s barrage of long throws, their big man Vadaine Oliver? And perish the thought it would rain… Credit to Evatt and his players for cutting all that out and making it about Bolton again. Of course, focus on the opposition is a requirement of the game, but belief in the style of football you want to play is infinitely more important. Here, the Whites looked like a team who were going to leave an indelible mark, no matter what their hosts did on the day.

Wanderers did defend well. Will Aimson, drafted in with Jones on compassionate leave, proved a rock at the back, as did George Johnston on the opposite side of the back three. Ricardo Santos was on a different level at times, winning a match-high eight aerial battles and then picking out passes with laser-like accuracy in the next moment.

It took 20 minutes or more for Evatt’s side to acclimatise but with MJ Williams also back to his disruptive best in midfield, they had a platform to go and take their attacking game to Gillingham.

Dion Charles wasted two big chances – this wasn’t his day in front of goal – and Dapo Afolayan’s mesmerising feet created a couple more. The home side had no subtle answer to his movement, opting to see the Star Man as some sort of human pinata in the latter stages of the first half.

The opening goal arrived in spectacular fashion, Marlon Fossey cutting a ball back on the edge of the box for Aaron Morley to swing a nonchalant right foot, sending the ball looping into the top corner past Aaron Chapman.

It was Morley’s first goal in Bolton colours and ample reward for what has been a very impressive start to his career on this side of Lancashire.

Even though Wanderers were ahead, they needed the buffer of a second goal to really start expressing themselves.

Gillingham’s attacks became more frantic. It would only take one good connection after a half-cleared header or a fortunate bounce, and the Whites may have had something to think about.

To their credit, though, they continued to play football. Frustration built in their hosts and manifested itself in three mad minutes as Dan Phillips chopped down Afolayan and then Bodvarsson to earn himself a red card from referee Craig Hicks.

Wanderers quickly scored a second. Charles drove at the defence before being crudely bodychecked by Max Ehmer, and as ref Hicks played a good advantage, Bodvarsson cut in to bring a save out of Chapman, the rebound driven in by Declan John.

It says everything about Bolton’s expansive style that a wing-back would be the man sniffing around for such chances in the penalty box, and the Welshman’s form since Evatt switched systems in January has been a true delight.

Wanderers brought on Kieran Sadlier and Amadou Bakayoko with 20 minutes to go, at which point the Gills looked completely out on their feet.

Fossey had been impossible to mark for much of the game but could not quite get himself on the scoresheet.

Bakayoko did everything but score, having one ruled out by the linesman, and Sadlier continues to present a compelling case for inclusion, demanding possession at every turn and pinning the home side back into the penalty box.

If there is a complaint, it is that Wanderers did not add more goals. Chapman made a few decent saves, Gillingham rode their luck, yet the 800-plus Bolton fans perched precariously on a temporary open air away stand behind the goal did not get the feast they should have done.

Bodvarsson finally grabbed a third four minutes from time, as Wanderers ruthlessly exploited a turnover in midfield. The Icelander had worked hard in both penalty boxes and is already showing good signs that he could enjoy the popularity his compatriots have in these parts in years gone by.

Still seven points off the top six with 10 games to go, it is going to take a gargantuan effort for Bolton to get involved in the play-offs but with every performance like this, we also see another reason to be optimistic for next season.

Next step, show the same ruthlessness and bravery against Morecambe and Plymouth at the UniBol, then it might be a different conversation.