IAN Evatt claims his side were denied a “stonewall penalty” in the second half of their 1-0 defeat at Wycombe.

The Bolton boss was furious his side did not get a route back into the game when substitute Cameron Jerome claimed he had been shoved by David Wheeler – but referee Andy Woolmer disagreed.

The defeat ended a run of five consecutive wins for the Whites, who drop below Ipswich into fourth place as a result.

Asked about the Jerome incident, Evatt said: “It is not a claim, it is a stonewall penalty. He hasn’t made an attempt to get the ball and Cameron Jerome was just about to head it, he barged him clean in the back.

“I didn’t think the referee and officials were great today, to be honest.”

Lewis Wing scored the decisive goal in first half stoppage time, curling a right-footed effort from the edge of the box to beat James Trafford after a clever corner routine with Garath McCleary.

“It was a 20-minute spell, really,” Evatt said. “I think we started really brightly and had the better of the early chances and then with the wind, just didn’t manage the conditions well enough for the last 20 minutes of the half.

“We didn’t show enough bravery and belief on the ball and ended up playing their way, fighting their fight, which isn’t us.

“If ever there was a stereotypical ‘being Wycombed’ we have been ‘Wycombed today’.

“We have been undone by a set play and then can’t get a head of steam up because there is so much disruption. That is their way, and credit to them, they won the game.”

Having beaten MK Dons and Peterborough United 5-0 in their previous two games, Evatt admits his side failed to find the same performance levels on a ground at which they have never won.

“It isn’t going to be easy,” he said. “Just because you have won two games 5-0 it doesn’t mean it will be all sweetness and light. You have to dig and fight here and I think we did that for the majority of the game.

“Did we deserve to lose that game? I don’t think so.

“Second half, especially the last 20-25 minutes it was all us but we couldn’t get the goal we needed. We lost the moments today, it’s another set play and we probably didn’t do well enough with our own set plays, especially the long throws towards the end.

“We have been on the wrong end of a couple of decisions. I mean, the tackle on Shola is an absolute joke. It is knee height. He has done nothing but been kicked all afternoon and Scowen has got a yellow card in the 89th minute – he was probably on his eighth or ninth foul by that point.

“The one thing you need when you come to Wycombe is a strong referee and I don’t think we got that today.”