Sloppy Wanderers’ automatic promotion chances were dented at Leyton Orient thanks to Dan Agyei’s second half strike. 

Ian Evatt’s side were poor in possession all day, nowhere more so in giving Agyei what proved to be the winning goal just after half time. 

Their only two real chances of the game fell to top scorer Dion Charles – but both were wasted, and the Whites were left to nurse a bruising defeat which leaves them fourth in the table and four points behind the top two. 

Kyle Dempsey was the only change to the team that had fared well against Luton in the FA Cup, with Paris Maghoma dropping to the bench. 

Wanderers went a full 40 minutes without registering a shot on goal in the first half, creating practically nothing in what was a pretty turgid contest. But just before the interval they burst into life, Victor Adeboyejo turning well on the left side of the penalty box to lay a ball off to George Thomason, whose delicate chip to the far post could not have been presented any more appetisingly to Dion Charles if he had dressed it in lemon and provided a side salad. 

Charles seemed to have one eye on Omar Beckles as he stooped to nod the ball over the line but instead hit the post, and the chance was gone. 

Orient finished the half with half a dozen efforts at goal but none, in truth, that worried Nathan Baxter to any great degree. 

Shaq Forde curled one effort wide of the post and a corner from Theo Archbald caused a few issues for Bolton as Ricardo Santos and Eoin Toal tried to hack the ball clear but in the main it was a bitty, uncomfortable watch, which will surely have pleased Richie Wellens more than it did Ian Evatt. 

Bolton had also been unusually careless in possession too, finishing the half with a 65 per cent pass success rate. 

Within a few seconds of the restart Dan Agyei surged forward to blast a shot at goal, beating the despairing dive of Baxter and, thankfully, the post too. 

Likewise there was another let-off moments later when Max Sanders got past Eoin Toal to drive a low shot right across the six yard box. 

Sloppiness on the ball continued until a moment of genuine defensive farce handed the home side the lead 54 minutes in. 

Ricardo Santos had already played one terrible ball across his own back line, retrieved by Dacres-Cogley, but Toal then attempted another one, which deflected into Agyei’s path with the striker racing on to finish past Baxter. 

As poor as they had been, Wanderers should have been level just after the hour mark. Finally putting a few passes together, Thomason slipped the ball to Charles, but keeper Sol Brynn was quick off his line to make a sprawling save. 

Evatt had seen enough – neither of his strikers had covered themselves in glory at Brisbane Road and he hooked both, bringing on the experience of Jon Dadi Bodvarsson and Cameron Jerome. 

The pair nearly linked up immediately, Brynn making another important intervention at his near post. But the necessary energy needed to get Bolton back in the game was sorely missing. 

Aaron Morley, Randell Williams and Paris Maghoma were sent on to try and aid the rescue act but passes continued to go astray with alarming regularity, meaning the Whites just could not build up any prolonged pressure. 

With 10 minutes to go, Williams raced to collect the ball and take a quick throw when Orient boss Richie Wellens stepped across him, triggering a furious reaction from the Bolton coaching staff. 

The O’s boss was sent off by ref Alex Chilowicz, Bolton assistant Peter Atherton also getting a yellow, but the damage had been done. 

Wanderers were running low on ideas but got a lifeline as such when the fourth official showed seven minutes of added time. 

Bodvarsson tried to squeeze a cross to Jerome but was thwarted once more by Brynn. The Icelander then played a fine ball through for Dacres-Cogley, only for the wing-back to sky his shot into the stand. 

Morley managed to hit even greater heights, smashing a 25-yarder against the roof of the stand, as the precious seconds dripped away. 

Wanderers might point to the two big chances for Charles but Evatt will know in his heart that his side had simply not been good enough on the ball to warrant a share of the points.