WANDERERS (3-4-2-1).

LUKE SOUTHWOOD…6.5.

Made a couple of big saves from May and Laird to keep Birmingham at bay. One short kick in the first half was the only real blot on the copybook.

JOSH DACRES-COGLEY…5.5.

Put in a half-decent shift against his former club, all things considered. Picked up the early yellow card, so an evening against Paik, Leonard and Hansson wasn’t fun.

RICARDO SANTOS…6.

Just as he had done against Burton on Saturday, Santos did the basics right and defended the penalty box well under a lot of pressure.

GEORGE JOHNSTON…6.

Brave as you like from the stand-in captain, and his efforts were appreciated by the travelling fans. Won plenty in the air.

RANDELL WILLIAMS…5.

Pinned back for the most part and wasn’t able to influence the game further forward as he would have liked. But another who put their foot in.

JOSH SHEEHAN…4.5.

Not a game which played to his strengths, with the majority of his tasks defensive ones. Ran hard, particularly in the second half and had one effort blocked after a clever corner.

JAY MATETE…4.

Picked for his defensive strengths but it is hard to make a case for him against Iwata, Willumsson and Co. Struggled for a lot of the night.

SZABI SCHON…4.5.

Plenty of effort, a few scrappy challenges when the pressure was on, but another player who just couldn’t find his target with the ball in the first half.

KYLE DEMPSEY…4.

Swamped in the first half and picked up an injury which now puts his involvement in the next few games in real doubt. Had been in some good form, too.

SCOTT ARFIELD…4.

His first start in the league since the opening day of the season and not a night he’ll remember fondly. Keeping the ball was a real issue and the Scot struggled to make it stick.

DION CHARLES…4.

Thankless, really. Tried a couple of times to go alone and use his pace but was totally outnumbered. Hopefully better luck against Peterborough.

Subs: McAtee 5, 46 (for Dempsey) – On one hand Bolton’s most threatening player, but also the one who spurned their best chances.

Collins 4.5, 58 (for Arfield) – But for the one exchange with McAtee, struggled to keep hold of the ball.

Adeboyejo 4.5, 58 (for Charles) – Eight touches, none of which were anywhere near the penalty box. That kind of night.

Forrester 4.5, 70 (for Williams) – Not the happiest return. Contact for the penalty, however hard Wanderers may debate it.

Not used: Hutchinson, Lolos, Inwood.

Birmingham City (4-2-3-1): Allsop; Laird, Klarer, Davies, Cochrane; Iwata, Seung-Ho; Anderson, Willumsson, Hansson; May.

Subs: Leonard 26 (for Hansson), Gardner-Hickman 64 (for Laird), Stansfield 64 (for May), Yokohama 83 (for Anderson), Dykes 83 (for Paik).

Not used: Peacock-Farrell, Sanderson.

Attendance: 25,793.

Referee: Stephen Martin – 5/10: Ian Evatt described the referee’s performance as ‘poor’ and on a night where Bolton absorbed tonnes of pressure, they could feel a bit aggrieved that the officials gave so little their way. Penalty was debatable, but probably the right call.

MAN OF THE MATCH – Luke Southwood.

His saves from May and Laird at the start of the second half made sure Bolton had a fighter’s chance, however slender.

MOAN OF THE MATCH – Like it or loathe it, Evatt’s gameplan was to keep things tight and try to open the game up in the final stages. Conceding after three minutes was not part of the script.

MAGIC MOMENT – Wanderers’ 2,000-plus travelling support were determined to enjoy their night regardless. Their banter with the home fans always raised a smile, even when the football didn’t.

ATMOSPHERE – Fireworks, flames, light-shows… All very Hollywood. But St Andrew’s sounded good under the lights with Bolton’s supporters playing their part.