Wanderers had to settle for a point against 10-man Lincoln City in their final fixture of the calendar year.

Ben House gave the hosts an early lead but Eoin Toal got the Whites back on level terms after the break.

Joe Walsh was shown a second yellow card minutes later but Ian Evatt’s men weren’t able to make the most of their man advantage.

First goal for Toal

Toal will be delighted to get off the mark in English football with a clinical header from Aaron Morley’s corner.

The centre-back has had to adapt to League One football quickly while Ricardo Santos and Gethin Jones have been out of action.

But he has thrived in Wanderers’ system and also demonstrated his quality going forward at times against the Imps.

Santos and Jones are now back in full training, and it looks like Evatt will have a selection headache in defence over the coming weeks.

Conceding first

Starting slow has been a common issue for the Whites this season and it was again the case at Sincil Bank after they were caught out by a clever free kick.

Wanderers have scored first in just seven of their 23 league games since the start of the campaign and they cannot afford to keep giving the opposition a head start.

But Evatt and company can take encouragement from the way the side has continued to fight back in games over the past few months.

There is clearly a togetherness and spirit in the camp that will serve Bolton well over the rest of the campaign as they aim to keep progressing.

Two points dropped?

Despite going behind, the Whites will likely view the result as a missed opportunity, particularly after having a man advantage during the final half hour.

Amadou Bakayoko missed a golden opportunity at the death, bundling wide from close range after getting on the end of Conor Bradley’s delivery.

Wanderers also missed a big chance in the recent stalemate against Derby, with Dion Charles firing wide with the goal at his mercy.

Evatt’s men have averaged slightly more than one goal per game in the league this season and arguably need to be more clinical if they are to consolidate their place in the top six.

Tricky run-in

Missing out on the three points feels even more frustrating given the tough fixture list the Whites have coming up.

Wanderers’ next four league matches are against Barnsley, Plymouth, Portsmouth and Derby, with three of those sides currently in the play-off places.

Evatt has already made it clear that he wants to get business done early inn the January window, and the next few weeks could be crucial in Bolton’s season.