WANDERERS’ first-half meltdown cost them dearly against Bristol Rovers as they fell to successive league defeats for the first time in more than a year.

Stinging from their televised loss at Fratton Park on Monday, Ian Evatt’s side failed to provide anything like an acceptable response until well after the interval at the Toughsheet Stadium.

By that stage they were 2-0 down thanks to goals from John Marquis and Anthony Evans, and down to 10 men after Ricardo Santos was sent off for a professional foul.

Wanderers had not lost a league game against Bristol Rovers since 1989, and though they did manage to halve the deficit with six minutes to go through Eoin Toal, it was much too little, much too late.

Bolton made two changes from the side that lost at Portsmouth, with Aaron Morley replacing the suspended Josh Sheehan and Jack Iredale coming in for Randell Williams at wing-back.

Rarely has a half of football gone so wrong for Evatt and his side as the first 45 minutes – the Whites seemingly cursed from the moment they lost the toss and had to change ends.

Just 10 minutes in the visitors tore down the right, Antony Evans and Grant Ward combining to whip a cross in for Marquis, who drifted past Santos to score his fifth goal of the campaign.

Shell-shocked, Bolton struggled to muster a meaningful reply. Santos seemed especially affected by the frustration, launching the ball out of play on a couple of occasions as Wanderers continued to try and get their wide men into the game.

Rovers slowed the game down where they could, further exacerbating the home support, but Bolton looked to be on self-destruct – and when Santos played a poor pass in his own half, leaving Baxter hopelessly exposed, his efforts to recover the ball ended with a trip on Aaron Collins and a straight red card from referee Carl Brook.

Wanderers initially settled into a back four but Evatt opted to make a change before the break, swapping centre-half Will Forrester for top-scorer Dion Charles. The change brought about an angry reception from the home fans – and within a minute, Bristol had their second goal.

Possession was lost on the right side of the area and Collins found Evans with a good cross to double the lead.

The Whites survived a spell of pressure before the break to hold the score-line and emerged with a bit of renewed purpose, Maghoma had a shot blocked in front of goal and Iredale’s cross caused a moment of panic. George Thomason also registered the first shot on target with a bouncing volley 64 minutes in.

To that point the overall shot target had been 14 to one.

Rovers continued to threaten, however, and Baxter had to make a couple of decent saves to deny Evans and Connor Taylor, who could have put the outcome completely beyond doubt.

As Evatt readied a triple substitution, Rovers scrambled a succession of Morley corners from their own goal-line. Bodvarsson also brought a stunning reaction save from Matt Cox after turning on a loose ball in the box.

The Icelander then sent another effort into the side-netting moments later – the home crowd suddenly coming alive to the idea that a goal could yet bring their side back into a game that looked completely lost.

Randell Williams, Carlos Mendes Gomes and Victor Adeboyejo entered the fray, the latter for Bodvarsson who appeared to limp straight down the tunnel, with around 20 minutes left to salvage something.

When that second wave of pressure failed to materialise, and with 10 minutes left on the clock, home fans began to file out into the concourses to sarcastic chants from the travelling contingent.

But then with six minutes left, Williams’ deflected free kick fell favourably for Toal, and Wanderers somehow had hope in the dying embers of the game.

The fourth official signalled five minutes of added time, bringing another roar from those still assembled. The big chance Bolton needed just never materialised, however, and the final whistle was blown on a defeat which sees them drop out of the automatic promotion places.