IN a season comprised mainly of rocks and pebbles, finally, a diamond.

It has been some time since the stadium erupted with joy quite like it did when Klaidi Lolos – and, more importantly, the ball – hit the back of net in the 98th minute on Saturday evening.

And it has been too long since we saw Ian Evatt’s Bolton Wanderers delivering a performance often hinted at, often discussed, but rarely witnessed in its entirety.

The record books show that this team has won five games out of their last seven in the league, an achievement that shouldn’t be downplayed regardless of how it was achieved. It has been a common criticism of this group that they don’t win games unless they are playing at their best.

Though the league position has steadily improved over the last six weeks, many remained unconvinced of Wanderers’ credentials. The “dark clouds” Evatt had discussed after that fateful home defeat to Huddersfield hadn’t cleared entirely, in fact, defeat to Birmingham in midweek had the weather forecasters issuing storm warnings before the next international break.

Peterborough United are not Birmingham. Nobody in this division gets close, truth be told. But they are exactly the standard of side Bolton will need to beat regularly if they are going to get to where they want to be. To do it with virtually the last touch of the game, in ‘Fergie Time’ with the Manchester United legend watching on and his son in the Posh dugout, only made it extra special.

We have witnessed Wanderers attack with such confidence and swagger in small patches this season, not least a goal-filled first half against Reading. Knowing that spark was in there was what made the dour games against Shrewsbury, Burton and the like even more frustrating.

And for the last couple of seasons there has been a big question mark hanging over the club in this type of game, against opposition who, like Bolton, have had two seasons of play-off heartache, and who will fancy their chances of being up there again in May.

Savour this feeling, for it won’t be like this every week. Football doesn’t work like that, even for Birmingham, who followed up that commanding performance against the Whites with a rather less spectacular draw at Mansfield.

The Blues do look like they are out on their own. You get what you pay for in this game and the tens of millions invested in that team should secure them a return to the Championship. But Bolton have also put hard cash into this squad, unprecedented amounts for them at this level in fact, so the pressure and expectation levelled at Evatt and his players is entirely fair.

The manager insisted there was more to come, and the standard of performance against Posh proves him right. Considering what players are also missing through injury – George Thomason, Gethin Jones, Carlos Mendes Gomes, Kyle Dempsey, Nathan Baxter, Chris Forino, Jordi Osei-Tutu – the way they dominated League One’s most prolific attack was hugely impressive.

Ricardo Santos, who has seemingly been stuck in purgatory since the play-off final, has been improving for a few weeks now. Injury free, and with a smile back on his face, this is the uncompromising, snarling, dominant version we know and love. Peterborough’s pacy front line hardly got a look in.

Jay Matete’s role in screening the back three was also hugely important, especially with summer target Joel Randall prowling behind his attack, and the on-loan Sunderland man had his best game in a Bolton shirt.

In attack, Wanderers were wasteful. Aaron Collins, George Johnston, Victor Adeboyejo, John McAtee and Dion Charles all had gilt-edged opportunities to score, with impressive visiting keeper Nicolas Bilokapic looking likely to end up the hero as the game moved into six minutes of stoppage time.

Crucially, and despite the acute lack of ruthlessness in front of goal, Bolton’s players maintained a fast pace. Helped by a home crowd who slowly bought in, raising the volume from a disinterested hush to a full-on cacophony by the end, the energy fed back on to the pitch and for the first time this season the Whites were attacking with real purpose, over a prolonged period.

Posh did everything they could to stem the flow. Cramp seemed to be contagious and though you could not deny Bilokapic deserved a lie down, he could have waited until after the final whistle. The irony of them losing out because the referee added on more time remains quite delicious.

Quite how referee Ollie Yates took 97 minutes to award a penalty, only he will be able to answer. The box looked more like an MMA octagon every time Josh Sheehan swung in a corner, and two big shout for pulls on Johnston and Santos had already been turned down. Thankfully, the ref finally wised up when Johnston again went crashing to the ground, the North Stand sending out a sonic wave of an appeal in the official’s direction.

Charles, off the bench and looking to add yet another goal against Peterborough to his collection, grabbed the ball and waited for a long time before being able to start his run up.

Bilokapic saved the spot kick, aimed down the middle, and then somehow managed to block Charles’s headed follow-up. For a mere heartbeat, the whole stadium held its breath, Evatt – up on the TV gantry, clutched his face in anguish. The ball popped up and Lolos timed his run perfectly, chesting it over the line and ending up in a delighted bundle in the back of the net.

Evatt celebrated enthusiastically with the analysts who usually spend their time perched in the gods, watching the action unfold. It is nice to see that the 27-year-old gantry, though in need of a lick of paint, is still bolted together effectively.

The task for Bolton now is to make this mean something. It is unreasonable to think that they can hit this standard every single week but they must begin to produce more consistency in their performances, and this same standard of support will follow.

Wouldn’t it be grand to look back on this weekend as a turning point? A moment when the clouds moved on somewhere else and we can enjoy some blue skies above the Toughsheet Stadium once again?