Bolton Wanderers 2-1 Burton Albion - The Big Match Verdict

Ian Evatt will draw some comfort from the fact his side are winning games again, his own situation night and day compared with the one he faced last month after a horror show at home to Huddersfield Town.

Results have improved too, this, a fourth win in the last five league games, ensuring a return to the top half of the table. Bolton are a point outside the play-off places, six behind second-placed Wrexham with a game in hand. Things are far from despondent.

But there lingers around the Toughsheet Stadium an undercurrent of dissatisfaction. Many are yet to be convinced that this team can challenge again for automatic promotion, and though the record books will only show three points against Burton Albion, very few of those who witnessed the performance will be shouting about a revival from the rooftops.

Ian Evatt had a grandstand view. Banned from the touchline after his red card against Shrewsbury he paced with purpose through the press box and up to the TV gantry before the game to take up a very different vantage point than he normally would. He left the post-match review to assistant Stephen Crainey, to whom he been relaying his instructions on a radio but judging by his steely eyed expression on the walk back down the stairs at both half time and full time, he agreed with most onlookers that there was much that could have been improved.

His march back down to the dressing room after the final whistle was interrupted by one brave fan who called out for a selfie. He obliged, but the expression probably said it all.

Wanderers had done enough to beat a struggling team but, let’s not sugar coat it, they had made mighty hard work of the process.

All the game’s goals were sandwiched inside five mad second-half minutes, which showed Bolton at their best, and at their worst.

Quick-thinking from Randell Wiliams at a throw in put Aaron Collins through for the first goal, the Welshman nicking the ball past Harry Isted and then stroking his shot past the covering defender like he had all the time in the world.

Moments later, Williams was celebrating acrobatically after racing on to a fine ball from Kyle Dempsey, cutting in off the right and then powering a shot past Isted.

That should have been job done for Bolton but they conspired to give Burton a route back into the game, allowing sub Jack Cooper-Love to waltz into the penalty box, Nick Akoto to square a cross and then Danilo Orsi to bundle the ball home via Josh Dacres-Cogley’s attempted clearance. Nobody placed within the penalty box wearing a white shirt escaped blame.

The last 25 minutes was played out in a nervous atmosphere. Bolton’s staccato spells of football not enough to create a third goal, while Burton’s greater urgency meant Ricardo Santos and Josh Dacres-Cogley were forced into more defending than they should have been at the bitter end.

In mitigation for their rather off-performance, Wanderers had to make some late changes. George Thomason was lost to a hamstring injury, Eoin Toal did not come through late checks on a head injury sustained on duty with Northern Ireland and keeper Nathan Baxter was not deemed clear of a muscular strain.

With Gethin Jones and Jordi Osei-Tutu not yet ready to be part of the squad, Evatt chose to play Williams as a right wing-back, shift Dacres-Cogley to centre-half and add a third striker, with John McAtee and Collins playing in behind Dion Charles up front.

Results were mixed. Willams certainly atoned for a poor show in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy but once again we found that layering the attacking talents of Charles, McAtee and Collins does not necessarily bring out the best in any of them.

Wanderers did start well, creating a handful of presentable chances in the opening 15 minutes. But not for the first time this season their failure to convert one and establish a lead saw them fall into a footballing malaise, Burton picking up the pieces to create the best opportunity of the half, missed at inexplicably close range by Mason Bennett.

The official attendance was given just over 19,000 but the atmosphere had been low key, save for Burton’s small band of supporters, who showed some splendid gallows humour by asking: “How s*** must you be? We’ve not won all year!”

Things picked up after the flurry of goals and it suddenly felt more like a game again, albeit one that Bolton were showing little interest in winning convincingly.

Sub Victor Adeboyejo had one chance blocked at close range by Isted. The excellent Ryan Sweeney also made several such important challenges throughout the course of the game.

There was no trace of the zip and vigour Wanderers had shown in the first 15 minutes of the game, however, nor in the brief window in which they added goals. And though it would be a stretch to say that Burton created chances of note, they simply shouldn’t have been within reach of a point in the first place.

Wanderers can point to the form book and say that things are looking better. Their slow crawl back up the league table would also bear out that point of view. Playing in this sporadic manner, however, feels somewhat unsustainable, especially given their opponents in the next two fixtures.

Birmingham City lead the division after their summer of extravagant spending and won’t have seen much in 90 minutes against the Brewers to bother them.

The Whites’ record against their direct promotion rivals has been much discussed in the last few seasons and what a statement it would be to see them go to St Andrew’s and carve out a result. Stranger things have happened.

But there is a sizeable portion of the fanbase who are already discounting Bolton as top two contenders – unfairly, perhaps, given their proximity. If there is a point to be proven in the Midlands on Tuesday night, it would be made in their direction.