ONLY in the fullness of time will we know just how important that half-time interval was for Ian Evatt, Bolton Wanderers, and perhaps even the League One promotion race.

At around 1.20pm on Saturday afternoon, somewhere under the West Stand behind the big double doors which lead to the manager’s office and home dressing room, decisions were made that not only affected the course of this game – but potentially the club’s season too.

It felt as if a lot of riding on the outcome of this all-Lancashire clash, both for embattled boss Evatt and his team, which had been so utterly humbled at Stockport County just a fortnight ago.

So, trailing to an eminently preventable Kyle Joseph header, having failed to put a shot on target nor really a glove on their injury-hit opposition, it was difficult not to look at the dark grey clouds above the Toughsheet Stadium as something symbolic.

The second-half transformation, driven by the returning George Thomason and capped off by Aaron Collins 94th minute winner, only goes to show just how wildly erratic this group of players can be. It is little wonder that Evatt craves more middle ground consistency, as living on this diet of late goals and catastrophe is no good for anyone’s health.

Since that grim day at Edgeley Park there had been a lot of discussion about responses, changing attitudes, wake-up calls and the like, so the turgid start to the game was as surprising as it was disappointing. Wanderers looked anxious, their 3-4-3 shape again leaving the front three of Collins, Dion Charles and John McAtee operating in three completely separate postcodes, and with Thomason, Ricardo Santos and Gethin Jones the only three players who appeared to have a grasp of what was going on around them.

Blackpool’s goal was disputed at the time – although a review of the halfway-line challenge by Jimmy Husband on Charles showed it to be a fair one, setting in motion an attack where Elliott Embleton had space to pick out Joseph, who slipped past Santos and got his head to the ball before Nathan Baxter could make contact with his fist, sending it bouncing into the open net.

Jordan Gabriel might have doubled the lead a few minutes later, Baxter saving with his feet at the near post, by which time Bolton’s supporters were ready to make their grievances known.

The mood had not been helped by a finicky referee in Edward Duckworth, whose whistle seemed perpetually glued to his lips with little consideration given for the driving rain and sodden pitch. That a full quota of players left the pitch is a blessing – although Szabolcs Schön did pick up a cheap yellow card which means he misses Tuesday night’s game at Cambridge United.

The jeers at half time were shared between the officials and the home players, who jogged off apologetically expecting to receive Evatt’s wrath. The manager later admitted he had simply posed a question to the group: “What’s the worst that can happen?”

It is safe to assume those doomsday scenarios were being considered in most areas of the stadium at that stage.

Tactically, Evatt also made a change that proved pivotal. Thomason had trained for just three days, having missed several weeks with a hamstring injury. Already booked and with referee Duckworth’s actions unpredictable at best, there may have been a temptation to switch him for Jay Matete at the break and play it safe. Instead, he pushed Thomason on as a number eight, bringing John McAtee back into midfield to do similar, and left Josh Sheehan as the solitary number six.

Instantly, the yawning gaps between attack and midfield were filled. Thomason had little gas left in the tank but looked intent on playing at full throttle until he was dragged off the pitch.

Within eight minutes of the restart, he had smacked a thunderbolt past Richard O’Donnell to level the scores and transformed the mood around the ground. Suddenly, 20,000 supporters were not thinking about the worst-case scenario either.

Watching Bolton on the hunt for a second goal over the next 15 minutes was a reminder of just how destructive they can be with the right motivation. It may be tempting to bring up Blackpool’s vulnerability – Steve Bruce later lamenting the players he has missing through injury and those still feeling their way back to full fitness – but the same luxury was not afforded to Evatt and Bolton in recent times. They have been judged, for that is the way of football.

With Thomason still front and centre at the coal face, chances were created and missed. Collins hit the bar from point-blank range and had another effort blocked by O’Donnell, Charles had a goal mysteriously ruled out for offside.

By the time Evatt had to bring his weary-legged captain off the pitch, only one team looked capable of taking all three points. Yet his absence for the final 20 minutes does highlight one of the issues Wanderers have right now, and without the energy of someone like Kyle Dempsey, who is still a few weeks off a return, there are no like-for-like replacements.

Matete sat deep, Sheehan pushed on, but there wasn’t the same bite as before and that gave Blackpool an opportunity to build some pressure before the end. Santos and Jones made some important and calm contributions in front of their own goal on a slippery surface, and though the visitors did push the Whites back, they did not buckle – another good sign.

The announcement of six minutes of stoppage time sparked a fresh wave of hope. The Tangerines inexplicably gambled too many men ahead of the ball and allowed Bolton to mount a counter, Matete feeding the ever-energetic Schön on the left, who eventually worked the ball to Collins to get a low shot away into the bottom corner.

It may have only been momentary elation but compared to the doom and gloom which has enveloped the club for the last fortnight post-Stockport, it felt oh-so-good. Bolton’s joy, Blackpool’s pain, each knowing they will feel the opposite emotion again soon enough.

For Evatt and Wanderers, the short-term becomes a matter of practical progress. And that will include a long-overdue performance against Wigan Athletic. If they can reach the New Year within touching distance of the automatic promotion places then, once again, the January window could become their saviour.