It might have only been a friendly, but Wanderers can take plenty of encouragement from their second-half fightback against Salford City.

Callum Hendry fired the hosts in front, finding a way past Joel Coleman after twisting and turning in the box.

But the Whites hit back through goals from midfield duo George Thomason and Aaron Morley in the final 20 minutes.

Ian Evatt handed starts to Bodvarsson, Cameron Jerome Jerome and Dan Nlundulu, with the latter dropping into a deeper role at times.

The Bolton boss reverted to a more familiar tactical set-up after the break as the likes of Morley, Kyle Dempsey and Dion Charles were introduced.

“We reverted to what we have been working on in the second half,” he explained. “We started slightly differently, but that was purely down to personnel.

“We can’t keep asking the players to play 90 minutes. This is a slow build-up and the most important thing is Lincoln on the first game of the season.

“We tactically changed one or two things in the first half to give people the minutes for fitness. Once we changed it in the second half, you could see that the flow was a lot better.”

Wanderers could have gone in front inside the opening couple of minutes when Kieran Sadlier broke free down the right and picked out Bodvarsson, but the Icelander couldn’t keep his strike down.

Josh Sheehan then dragged an effort wide from distance before Conor McAleny failed to hit the target at the other end after some good work by Luke Bolton on the wing.

Jerome, who caused the Salford backline plenty of problems during the opening half hour, had a half-chance in the box but his strike sailed wide.

Declan John then picked out Will Forrester at the far post with a looping cross. The young defender sent a header just wide of the near post, although it had Alex Cairns scrambling to his left.

Bodvarsson’s injury midway through the first half was a major talking point and he was replaced by Victor Adeboyejo.

The former Millwall man has had a torrid run of injury luck since his arrival at Wanderers, missing the second half of last term after needing ankle surgery.

Evatt’s post-match update on the striker’s condition wasn’t as bad as initially feared, but it is still far from ideal with the new season approaching.

Zac Ashworth came straight into the starting line-up following his loan move from West Brom, which could become permanent down the line.

The versatile youngster bolsters the Whites’ defensive options following George Johnston’s injury, which is likely to keep him out for the season.

It is still early days but Ashworth looked composed on the ball and seems to be a natural fit for Evatt’s possession-based approach. His ability to play as both a centre-back and wing-back will also benefit the squad over the coming season.

Adeboyejo was immediately involved in the action. His goal-bound shot had Cairns beaten but a defender managed to get back and make a vital clearance.

The ex-Burton striker then latched onto Sheehan’s flick and showed composure to go round the goalkeeper, but a defender managed to make a last-ditch challenge as he was about to slot into the empty net.

But the hosts, who finished seventh in League Two last season, looked more threatening in the final third as the half went on.

Joel Coleman, who got more valuable minutes on the pitch, made a couple of decent stops on the stroke of half time. First, he reacted quickly to keep out Luke Bolton’s thumping strike and then got a strong hand to McAleny’s effort.

The Bolton-born goalkeeper has got plenty of valuable minutes under his belt in pre-season and will be keen to provide competition for Nathan Baxter in the coming weeks and months.

Salford went in front after the break when Hendry showed good feet in the box to create a pocket of space. His strike seemed to take a nick off Ricardo Santos and wrong-footed Coleman.

Evatt rung the changes during the second half, with Josh Dacres-Cogley, Randell Williams, Jack Iredale, Gethin Jones, Dempsey, Morley and Charles all joining the fold.

But Salford continued to apply pressure and nearly doubled their lead when McAleny was denied by the post from a tight angle. Jones had initially done well to get a foot in as the attacker looked set to slot home from a low cross.

Wanderers hadn’t been at their best but got back on level terms 17 minutes from time when Thomason caught a volley sweetly on the edge of the box. It flicked off a defender on the way in.

The tenacious midfielder continues to make a case for a place in the starting line-up against Lincoln on the opening day. He also did a lot of good work that went under the radar, breaking up attacks and turning defence into attack.

Salford played the final 10 minutes with 10 men after Luke Garbutt was forced off with an injury and suddenly Evatt’s men had all the momentum.

Thomason nearly doubled his tally for the afternoon but was denied by a smart stop by Cairns to his right before an off-balance Charles hooked just wide.

Adeboyejo had another chance in the final stages but flicked over the bar after some good wing play by Williams on the left.

But Wanderers completed their comeback when Morley smashed home from close range after more pinball in the box.

Williams nearly added a third at the death. His low drive had Cairns worried but crept just wide of the near post.

Evatt’s men conclude pre-season with a couple of tough tests against Everton and West Brom before their curtain raiser against Lincoln on Saturday, August 5.

Coleman, Forrester (Jones 60), Santos, Ashworth (Iredale 60), Sadlier (Dacres-Cogley 57), Sheehan (Morley 63), Thomason, John (Williams 57), Nlundulu (Dempsey 63), Jerome (Charles 65), Bodvarsson (Adeboyejo 25). Unused: Baxter.