AMADOU Bakayoko came up with an incredible injury time winner for Wanderers to keep alive their feint hopes of a play-off place.
The newly called-up Sierra Leone international pounced on to George Johnston’s cross to leave more than 2,300 travelling fans singing his name.
It had been a poor game to that stage. Wanderers had improved in the second half but they looked destined to leave with just a point after struggling to come to terms with a poor pitch and blustery conditions.
The first half was a complete non-event from a footballing perspective.
Crewe claimed marginal superiority, due in the main to a steady flow of danger supplied by Callum Ainley on the left flank, which just happened to be the only part of the pitch with a reasonable covering of grass.
Chances were few and far between. Will Aimson was forced into one panicky clearance in front of his own goal after Tom Lowery had done well to get around Kieran Sadlier and deliver a cross.
There was a 10-minute delay in proceedings to allow a supporter in the Ice Cream Van Stand to get treatment but after play restarted the football was just as fragmented.
Referee Sam Purkiss played his part in a staccato 45 minutes, taking a hard line on most physical contact, and Bolton struggled to put together any real quality in attack.
Jon Dadi Bodvarsson poked one shot wide early on and Sadlier tested keeper David Richards with a free kick on the stroke of half time but otherwise it was dire stuff from the men in white.
Within a few moments of the restart, Wanderers had shown they were intent on picking the pace up.
Will Aimson crossed from deep, Afolayan met the ball with a good header but keeper Dave Richards produced a spectacular save.
MJ Williams then had two decent chances, the first blocked, the second hooked just over the crossbar, and seconds later Afolayan sent a daisy-cutter at goal which bounced off the foot of the post with Richards seemingly beaten.
Wanderers continued to keep pressure on the home goal. Ricardo Santos nearly sparked a pitch invasion when he drove a decent shot at goal, only for Richards to make another smart stop.
Evatt threw on Amadou Bakayoko, Elias Kachunga and Kyle Dempsey to add some fresh legs towards the end but Bolton nearly shot themselves in the foot when Santos’s poor header put Bassala Sambou in on goal. Thankfully, his poor shot failed to test Trafford.
Dempsey had an effort deflected wide but as the minutes ticked down on the new scoreboard in the corner it seemed less and less likely that either side would be able to conjure a defining moment to seal all three points.
But then, Bakayoko came up with the goods with impeccable timing.
Kachunga had done well to win a free kick on the edge of the box. Sadlier struck the base of the post but when Johnston kept the ball alive with a good cross, Bakayoko was there to bury his 11th goal of the season and send the Bolton fans into delirium.
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