Eoin Toal ensured another party in the Stacey West Stand by scoring against Lincoln City for the second season in a row to give Wanderers a well-earned three points. 

The Northern Irish defender had scored his first goal in English football last December to earn a point in a play-off chase – but this time his header might help Ian Evatt’s side earn something altogether more prestigious. 

Toal had been a doubt before kick-off with an ankle injury but Ian Evatt’s decision to stick with him to help exploit Lincoln’s weaknesses on set pieces turned out to be a masterstroke, earning a memorable late win. 

Level on points with second-placed Peterborough United and in possession of a game in hand, the Whites are starting to look very handily placed once again. 

But they had to wait to the bitter end to sink a plucky and organised Lincoln side who were reduced to 10 men 20 minutes from the end when Danny Mandriou saw red for a foul on Aaron Morley. 

Wanderers made five changes from the side that beat Leyton Orient, bringing Ricardo Santos back after suspension and swapping Randell Williams, Paris Maghoma, Aaron Morley and Victor Adeboyejo for Jack Iredale, Josh Sheehan, Kyle Dempsey and Jon Dadi Bodvarsson. 

Whatever had come over the Whites in the second half on Saturday was certainly not present at Sincil Bank, where they played some confident, inventive football in the opening 45 minutes without really getting the rewards it deserved.  

Lincoln set their stall out immediately, a bank of five defenders sitting deep, looking to frustrate and contain above all else. And for the first 10 minutes the plan worked well, Bolton struggled to find much space to play outside their own half and had one nervous moment when a long ball aimed at Danny Mandriou got Gethin Jones and Nathan Baxter’s wires crossed momentarily. 

Gradually, George Thomason and Aaron Morley got more control in midfield, and that in turn pinned the Imps further back in their own half. 

Lincoln have given away more goals than any other side from set pieces this season, a statistic underlined with the panic caused each corner Randell Williams or Morley slung into the penalty box. Toal was a persistent threat, and went close to opening the scoring with one near-post flick 15 minutes in.  

Thomason then played a wonderful reverse ball to send Adeboyejo through the middle, the striker drilling a decent shot from the edge of the box but one that couldn’t beat ex-Bolton loanee Lukas Jensen. 

Santos and Charles both came within a whisker of connecting with corners whipped across the Lincoln box, and perhaps sensing their hosts’ vulnerability under the high ball, Williams even brought out his long throw to test them further. 

Charles kept gnawing away – driving one angled shot just wide of the post after latching on to another well-judged pass from Thomason. Moments later his persistence in the penalty box enabled Gethin Jones to pull an excellent ball back, which once again went unpunished. 

As the half drew to a close there was more pinball in the Lincoln box, Thomason and Charles watching shots bounce fortuitously off Lincoln legs and out to safety. 

There was nothing wrong in the way Wanderers were playing, only that they had not yet found the killer touch. Lincoln’s plan to sit tight was working, in theory, but their lack of adventure was also starting to rankle with the home fans. 

For 10 minutes of the second half the game continued down the same path, Bolton passing efficiently in areas that did not trouble the home side, with the occasional flash of creativity thrown in.  

Sean Roughlan’s thunderbolt of a left foot drive snapped things into focus a little, though, reminding Wanderers that they still had a game to win. 

Charles went agonisingly close again, lashing a volley just wide after a poor defensive header from Paudie O’Connor. From the corner, Williams’s cross nearly dropped under the bar. 

Lincoln fired another warning shot after a mistake from Josh Dacres-Cogley gave Danny Mandriou – a former Bolton target – the chance to lash a shot at goal. Baxter was firmly behind the effort. 

At the other end, Lukas Jensen was being teased mercilessly by the 1,900 behind his goal. The Dane did not appear too fazed and made a fine claim to deny Jones a free far-post header from Williams’s deep cross with 25 minutes to go. 

The odds turned in Wanderers’ favour soon after that when Danny Mandriou left his studs up in a late challenge on Morley, leading referee Neil Hair to issue a straight red card. 

The Whites knew from there that they would see even more possession. The trick was moving the ball fast enough to shake Lincoln from their well-set formation. 

Evatt threw on Kyle Dempsey, Jon Dadi Bodvarsson and Josh Sheehan looking for fresh energy but the half-chances continued to fall by the wayside. 

Maghoma, Charles and Dempsey pounced on poor clearances but couldn’t keep their close-range shots down. 

Other efforts bounced off Lincoln legs and bodies and wide of Jensen’s goal, which was leading the most charmed of lives as the game reached the final five minutes of normal time. 

Only one team looked capable of winning the game, indeed, only one team had really tried.  

And wouldn’t you know that Toal would be the man who broke Imps’ hearts again? 

After a succession of set pieces, Sheehan finally found the right ball in from the left and the Northern Ireland international got enough of his head on the ball to send it past Jensen, sparking joyous scenes in the away end.  

Into five minutes of added there would be one last fright – Sorensen lashing an angled shot just wide. He knew how rare the chance had been – and beat the turf in disgust. 

Wanderers played out the rest of the game with no more drama, their fans left to celebrate a well-earned three points into the Boxing Day night. Now that’s what I call a Merry Christmas.