PRE-SEASON defeat for Wanderers at Carlisle was not in itself a major disappointment – but the fact it felt so self-inflicted will surely be an annoyance to Ian Evatt on his way back down the M6.

Coasting in the first half until a defensive mistake gifted Ryan Edmondson the opening goal, after which the Whites never looked the same again.

Ben Barclay headed a second before Aaron Morley’s penalty gave Bolton’s 562 travelling fans the briefest glimpse of a comeback, quickly killed by Kristian Dennis’s third.

The first half started on a positive note for Wanderers as they passed and probed their way around the Carlisle half with confidence.

Jon Dadi Bodvarsson picked his way through on the edge of the area before being crowded out by a combination of defender Morgan Feeney and keeper Tomas Holy – the former being forced off the pitch by injury moments later.

Elias Kachunga followed suit, running on to a clever pass from Jack Iredale, and once again Carlisle’s giant Czech keeper was alert to the danger.

Wanderers’ front two were in menacing mood. Fin Back – son of England rugby union World Cup winner Neil – produced a last-ditch challenge his old man would have been proud to call his own close to goal to stop Kachunga from opening the scoring.

And when Conor Bradley went close after spinning past one man on the touchline and beating another for pace, it looked only a matter of time before the Whites got themselves on the scoresheet.

From out of nowhere, a misplaced pass from Santos put Dempsey in trouble and Owen Moxon slid a pass through for Ryan Edmondson to bury a shot under James Trafford.

George Thomason came within inches of an equaliser, drilling a measured shot from Morley’s corner just past the post, but the early swagger had disappeared from Bolton’s game.

Sloppy in possession, the Whites started to invite pressure. And from a corner sub Corey Whelan hooked the ball back at the far post for Ben Barclay to head home unmarked from close range.

There was a short burst after half time, led by Cumbrian boy Dempsey, who looked determined to impress on his old patch. The midfielder drew a foul from Brennan Dickenson to earn a penalty just after half time, converted with confidence by Morley.

Surely then, the comeback was on?

Within a minute, the two-goal cushion was restored. Wanderers couldn’t halt Jordan Gibson on the Carlisle right and his cross was cleared by Bradley on to Santos, the ball bouncing for Dennis to pass into the back of the net.

Just before Bodvarsson left the pitch he brought another save out of Holy, who also did well to block Thomason’s rebound attempt.

The raft of substitutions thereafter did little to change things and, in truth, Carlisle might have added to their tally with Jon Mellish and Dennis both putting unchallenged headers straight at Trafford.

Wanderers had one half-chance before the end as Kieran Sadlier’s near-post cross was touched towards goal by Lee but, not for the first time on the afternoon, Holy was in the right place.