IF this weekend has taught us nothing else, it is that football’s ability to surprise and disappoint burns as brightly as ever.

It was a world away from the lavish luxury of Qatar but the suffering felt by a couple of thousand Wanderers fans on an icy terrace in Shrewsbury was no less agonising as that of the Three Lions. The upshot being it would have been cheaper to buy a pint afterwards.

In a different universe this could have been the perfect day. A double from Dion Charles should have been enough for victory in Shropshire, where the hosts looked completely spent with 11 minutes left to play. This Bolton team – effectively assembled from the last men able to stand after a wave of illness and injury in the camp the previous week – was in line to be praised for the way they stood up to another physical examination, and all without their most aerially adept defender, Ricardo Santos.

Surely then the celestial dominoes would then have been toppled so Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions would roar into action against France?

Sadly, the sporting gods were not in the mood. Instead, Wanderers inexplicably chose to abandon the plan which had got them into a winning position, opening the door wide for Shrewsbury to drag themselves level, then to claim the points as their own during stoppage time.

It was a footballing kick to the goolies, which on such a cold day hurt twice as much.

Understandably, folk sought answers and launched theories into why Bolton had collapsed in such a way. And many settled on the timing of Ian Evatt’s substitutions, coming as they did shortly after Shrewsbury had equalised in the 79th minute.

Whether there should be such a level of surprise that Jon Dadi Bodvarsson and Amadou Bakayoko were plucked from the bench is debatable. The men they replaced – Charles and Dapo Afolayan were playing well, that much is true, but neither regularly complete 90 minutes in this system. In fact, it has happened on just five occasions for both all season.

Swapping strikers has been a profitable exercise for Bolton, and while it was a bold move for Bodvarsson to declare himself fit despite a broken nose that will require an operation on Monday, it would be wrong to ascribe all ills at Shrewsbury to two substitutes.

Evatt voiced his disapproval after the game to the fact his players had started to play direct football in the latter stages, playing into Shrewsbury hands. Certainly, Steve Cotterill’s back three of Dunkley, Pennington and Flanagan looked happier heading the ball away then they were chasing Afolayan.

Match stats from Whoscored.com show an increase in long passes in the last 10 minutes but not a massive one – with the percentage compared to ‘short passes’ rising from 18.6 to 22.7 before and after the second Shrewsbury goal.

Rather the issue may be more inconvenient for the Bolton boss, given it is still three whole weeks before the start of the transfer window.

Wanderers have gone through much of this season with the best defensive record in the league but standards have dropped in the past month, mistakes allowed to creep in.

Rob Street had managed to open the scoring after just 87 seconds without a Bolton challenge worthy of the name. And the defending was equally soft in the closing stages as Shrewsbury laid siege to James Trafford’s goal.

Centre-back Eoin Toal has dived in at the deep end after replacing the convalescing Santos, showing some promise, but there remains a frightening naivety about the Whites when put under this sort of pressure.

Former Bolton boss Keith Hill used to discuss ‘red zones’ at either end of the half, when concentration can be at its lowest and mistakes more prevalent. His theory can certainly be grafted on to this group, whose worrying propensity to concede early on threatens to undo a lot of hard work.

Accusations of fragile mentality had been thrown at Wanderers’ attackers of late but one positive which can be taken from the Shrewsbury trip is Dion Charles’s return to form alongside Afolayan, a partnership which at one stage looked to be the club’s future.

Whatever the reason for their withdrawal – and prior illness cannot be discounted – the two strikers did as much as anyone to get Bolton on top in the second half.

Charles had equalised with a net finish from dead centre of goal after Kieran Lee and Gethin Jones had combined well on the right.

He then fired a second from the penalty spot moments after Afolayan had been felled by Dunkley’s recovery challenge, the shot squirming under Marko Marosi with 19 minutes left on the clock to send the away end into raptures, just as he did with that last-minute winner back in January.

He might have had a hat-trick – Flanagan getting away with a clumsy challenge on Charles that might have been a second penalty on another day.

But what happened next is the true head-scratcher. Wanderers stopped playing the ball through midfield at a time when Kieran Lee and Josh Sheehan were very much in control.

Some of Shrewsbury’s fans had started to file out of the ground to beat the traffic, heeding advice from the travelling fans that they “should have gone Christmas shopping.” But they spoke too soon.

Before the game it had been highlighted that Bolton’s ability to defend at set pieces could be crucial. Shrewsbury had scored a greater percentage of their goals this season from corners and free kicks than anyone barring Port Vale.

Suddenly and without warning, failure to properly clear a corner led to Flanagan hooking the ball past Jones on the right, Dunkley winning first contact and Christian Saydee volleying the equaliser from close range.

The goal had a reviving effect. And though Evatt hoped to create positive change with Bodvarsson and Bakayoko entering the show, reality was quite different.

Trafford made a couple of saves to keep the Shrews at bay but when a 92nd minute corner was headed up in the air by Lee at the near post, the Bolton keeper was blindsided by Dunkley, who nipped in to head the ball over the line with four defenders watching on around him.

That moment had little to do with substitutions, of direct football or anything tactical whatsoever – it was down to one player’s desire to get to the ball first. And cap off to Dunkley, who atoned for the penalty he gave away with some interest.

Wanderers had a rough week, and some concessions can be made for the toll illness and injuries have taken on the squad. But let us also be careful about making too many allowances, or even using them as an excuse, as felt the case last season.

Besides, nothing soothes the pain like beating Manchester United – Under-21s or not – and that is Evatt’s next task on Tuesday night.