Defeats always sting but that feeling is much worse when the outcome is, in Ian Evatt’s words, “self-inflicted”.

The first goal at the Valley was of Wanderers’ own doing, with skipper Ricardo Santos losing possession cheaply while looking to build from the back.

It still needed a fine strike from Greg Docherty to beat Nathan Baxter from the edge of the penalty area.

But it was a blow for the Whites after a fairly positive start against the Addicks, with John McAtee and Aaron Collins finding space to run into.

Evatt refused to point the finger after the final whistle, insisting the responsibility falls on his shoulders because of the way he wants Wanderers to build from the back.

The first goal is always important in League One but against Charlton, it had a massive impact on how the contest panned out.

Once Nathan Jones’ side got their noses in front, they were generally happy to sit back and look to frustrate Wanderers, who dominated possession but failed to make that translate into chances in the final third.

Without getting too technical, the heatmaps told an interesting story. Charlton were often penned in on the edge of their own box but, to their credit, defended resiliently to keep the Bolton attack at bay.

(Image: WhoScored)

Evatt’s men saw plenty of the ball in and around the penalty area but couldn’t quite get the final pass right.

The manager admitted that his side’s decision making wasn’t good enough on the day but is confident it will improve with more time on the training pitch.

John McAtee is still getting to grips with Bolton’s system and how his new team-mates operate, in fairness, while others have slightly different roles from last term as part of the tactical tweak.

But the frustration for supporters is that the game felt too similar to many occasions over the past few years.

It is a problem that even the top teams in Europe have when coming up against sides who look to sit deep and frustrate. In those instances, you simply cannot afford to give the opposition a head start.

After the opener, Wanderers did not have many moments of note in front of goal. Dion Charles forced Will Mannion into a decent stop low to his right after reacting quickly to get a shot away.

At the other end, Baxter made a good stop with his legs to deny Docherty a second after Thierry Small’s cross eventually dropped for the midfielder.

George Thomason delivered a dangerous cross on the stroke of half time that was not too far from curling into the bottom corner.

Evatt made a double change at the break, with Victor Adeboyejo and Jordi Osei-Tutu replacing Charles and Josh Dacres-Cogley after the latter had picked up a knock.

There has been plenty of debate over whether Adeboyejo is more suited to the Whites’ current system due to his physical attributes. However, it would be a big call to drop Charles, who has been the club’s top scorer in the past couple of seasons.

Adeboyejo showed glimpses of his hold-up play to bring the likes of Collins and McAtee into the game, but not much changed in the next 20 minutes, in truth.

Kyle Dempsey and Jay Matete were also introduced off the bench in place of Josh Sheehan and George Thomason as Evatt looked to inject energy in the middle of the pitch.

Dempsey had a bit of joy as the game became more stretched but clear-cut chances were still hard to come by.

The dynamic midfielder is perhaps a better fit for these types of games on the road but is still building up his sharpness after missing most of pre-season due to injury.

Eoin Toal had a half chance after getting on the end of Szabi Schon’s corner but could not direct his header goalward.

Charlton nearly doubled their lead through a corner of their own but Chuks Aneke could not keep his header down after getting up highest.

McAtee let fly from the edge of the area but his strike flew over the bar. Moments later, Aneke had another sight at goal but sliced an effort wide of the near post.

The end-to-end nature continued and it felt inevitable a goal was coming, but unfortunately it went the hosts’ way.

Wanderers lost possession in their own half again, although this time it was forced by Charlton’s aggressive pressing. Aneke picked out Matty Godden in the box with a pinpoint cross and he planted a diving header past Baxter.

Scott Arfield replaced Johnston for the final few minutes but the hosts preserved their clean sheet to continue an impressive start to the campaign.

It is still early days in the season and many teams will leave the Valley empty-handed in the coming months.

But even at this stage, Wanderers know they must offer more in front of goal with the firepower they have in the squad.

Evatt added after the match: “I said before the game I think (Charlton) will be in the top six, nothing has changed my mind about that.

“They are a different type of team to what we are, they are more robust, physical, aggressive, front foot and direct at times. There is no right or wrong way to do it, that has been successful in this league before.

“Nathan knows what he is doing, he has improved this team and that was an improvement from what I have seen in recent years.”

The fixtures now start to come thick and fast, and that is something Evatt is happy about as Bolton aim to bounce back quickly against Shrewsbury in the Carabao Cup.

There are likely to be more starts for some of the summer signings and players who have been returning from injuries, and it is a chance to prove why they should get the nod for the league matches.