Wanderers were held to a goalless draw against Derby County in front of a bumper crowd at the University of Bolton Stadium.

The Whites’ best chance fell to Dion Charles, while James Collins had a couple of opportunities at the other end.

Ian Evatt’s men remain fifth in the table – only a point behind fourth-place Barnsley, who okayed a game fewer at this stage.

Defensive resilience

Despite being without Ricardo Santos and Gethin Jones, Wanderers’ new-look backline restricted Derby to few clear-cut opportunities.

Eoin Toal has continued to impress and looks at home in League One despite only having eight appearances in English football under his belt.

Will Aimson also played his part against the Rams, and George Johnston has stepped up while the two main leaders of the squad have been away.

Evatt has made it clear that he trusts all of his defenders to deliver when called upon, and so far they haven’t let him down.

A point gained or two lost?

Derby haven’t lost in the league since October, and many Bolton supporters probably would have taken a point before kick-off.

But the Whites had a golden opportunity to secure the victory when Charles fired wide from Kieran Lee’s cut back early in the second half.

Evatt’s men haven’t had the best record against the sides around them since returning to the third tier, and there were certainly positives to take from the performance.

But it could also be argued that Wanderers need to become more ruthless in these fixtures as they aim to keep climbing the table.

Midfield competition

Despite losing George Thomason due to a knee injury, the Whites still have plenty of options in the middle of the pitch.

Aaron Morley has impressed since his return to the side, and Josh Sheehan has now made a few starts after a lengthy spell out of action.

Kyle Dempsey will also be hoping to nail down a place after returning from his recent injury setback, while MJ Williams has played an important role at times under Evatt.

But with the games coming thick and fast over the festive period, it is a nice headache for the Bolton boss to have.

Fantastic turnout

More than 25,000 supporters were in attendance at the UniBol, making it Wanderers’ biggest home gate since dropping out of the Premier League.

The figure, which included a sold-out away end of more than 5,000 travelling fans, is even more impressive considering the fixture was broadcast live on Sky Sports.

The previous highest total came against Blackpool in the Championship back in May 2013. The Whites narrowly missed out on a play-off spot that day.