JAMES Trafford is content to view a poor performance in Cheltenham as a “bump in the road” at Wanderers.

The young keeper was one of only a few who came out of Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat in credit, a wonderful second half save to deny Lewis Freestone the highlight of an otherwise drab evening in Gloucestershire.

Trafford was at a loss to explain why the Whites – who had gone into the game on a run of four straight wins – had stumbled so badly.

“Listen, we just weren’t at it, so we got what we deserved,” he said after the final whistle. “It felt like we had been defending for our lives for the majority of the game and there is only so much pressure you can stand, and we broke.

“I don’t know why – it’s one of those days, a bump in the road.

“Even the top teams in the world have off days. We prepared the same way, did everything the same way but it was just one of those nights.”

Manager Ian Evatt had said in the build-up that Wanderers’ away form would ultimately define their season. And though his side had shown improvement in the last few weeks against physical opponents like Peterborough United and Lincoln, their passiveness at Whaddon Road was a hark back to last season’s perennial problem.

Trafford maintains there is no emergency, nor should it change Bolton’s approach.

“I don’t think it’s a wake-up call because they normally come when you are getting a bit too big for your boots,” he said. “We are the same lads we were first game of the season, before it even started. It was just one of those nights, so you put it behind you, then move on.

“Over the course of a long season they happen, especially when the games come thick and fast. Saturday will be a tough game, it was always going to be a tough one, but now we have to make sure we move on.”

Wanderers had also kept three consecutive clean sheets in the league before Cheltenham, boasting League One’s meanest defence. They still hold the latter record – but Trafford is happy to start building another run quickly.

“It has been a good run,” he said. “That kind of run doesn’t come along too often but I’m not too worried. Of course I want to keep the clean sheet but it isn’t something I’ll lose sleep over, I just want the team to take points. I got four in a row when I first came to the club – so I’ve ticked that four-in-a-row box!”

The save from Freestone drew applause from all four sides of the ground but Trafford – attempting to inject a bit of levity into a difficult evening – was not about to start bragging about it.

“Matt Gilks can take the credit for that one – he put me in goal, so that’s his save,” he smirked.