WANDERERS’ 10-minute treble might not have been enough to completely silence the doubters or the stayaways at the Toughsheet Stadium… But it was a mighty fine start.

Trouble appeared to be brewing as Bolton trailed 1-0 deep into the second half, Hiram Boateng’s header having given Nigel Clough’s Mansfield a deserved lead.

The Whites had been wasteful – and were given an early Christmas gift when Boateng earned himself a stupid red card, but it was only when a brave quadruple substitution paid dividends for Ian Evatt that a bad night got better.

Dion Charles, Victor Adeboyejo and John McAtee struck in such rapid fire, leaving those in the home stands didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Wanderers move up to seventh, level on points with Reading and Stockport, and add a few more points to their recent collection. They will unquestionably have to play better to get to where they want to be, but Evatt might also feel he is due a little bit of good fortune, and he certainly got it with Boateng's moment of madness.

Wanderers made three changes from the side that drew at Cambridge, bringing back Szabolcs Schön after suspension and replacing Dion Charles with Victor Adeboyejo in attack. John McAtee also made up the numbers in midfield, with George Thomason serving a one-game ban.

Though it was a chilly night in Horwich, the empty seats at kick-off may have been a sign of the discontent felt by some at the way the season has gone so far under Ian Evatt. And for those who did make the effort, a reminder of just how frustrating it has been to watch the Whites for the last few months.

Ref Seb Stocksbridge called for a replacement ball after 10 minutes, and the game itself had been completely flat until McAtee combined with Josh Dacres-Cogley – playing on the left – and his cross was turned behind. The half-cleared corner was rasped at goal by McAtee, forcing Christy Pym to parry the ball away.

McAtee popped up again in the penalty box moments later trying to turn a cross from Schon towards goal, only for Jordan Bowery to make a timely block.

Wanderers’ only first half goals at the Toughsheet this season in the league came against Reading, and the wastefulness continued as Gethin Jones passed up a decent headed chance and Adeboyejo slashed at the rebound.

Mansfeld did muster some response at that stage, George Maris poked a shot into the side netting after Lucas Akins had been allowed to cross from the right and former Bolton transfer target Keanu Baccus sent an acrobatic volley wide after the Whites made a mess of clearing another set piece.

Aaron Collins should have opened the scoring half an hour in, failing to get a proper headed connection to what was a very presentable cross from Dacres-Cogley. And within a few minutes, the visitors made their profligacy been 10 times worse.

Akins swung a cross in from the right, met superbly by the head of Boateng for his second goal of the season, via the woodwork.

Wanderers’ response was, frankly, weak. As the crowd frustration grew they began to try and force passes and do too much on the ball, giving Mansfield an easy passage into half time. Indeed, over-playing on the edge of the box nearly led to a second goal for Will Evans, slashed wastefully wide from 10 yards out.

The boos that accompanied the half time whistle were entirely merited, and wholly predictable. But it is a situation that Bolton have faced before this season, and second half transformations are becoming their thing.

The portents were not good in the first few minutes, Bowery’s dreadful back-pass allowing Adeboyejo a clean route through on Pym’s goal. But the Nigerian striker tapped a weak effort wide bringing another exasperated groan from the home support.

More jeers followed when Boateng stole into the penalty box just before the hour to bring a save out of Nathan Baxter at his near post.

The Bolton keeper was then at the centre of some controversy as George Johnston undercooked back-pass presented a chance for Evans, who caught Baxter as he tried to nudge the ball past him. He will feel unlucky to have been given a yellow card for his troubles.

Evatt made his feelings known with a quadruple substitution on the hour, hooking Collins, Dacres-Cogley, Schon and Sheehan for Osei-Tutu, Williams, Charles and Klaidi Lolos. The procession even seemed to catch the fourth official on the hop, the whole mess rather symbolic of what had been happening on the pitch.

Osei-Tutu could have made an immediate impact, stabbing wide when Pym made a mess of handling Williams’ cross. The same thing then happened at the opposite end, as Baxter spilled Boateng’s cross on the line. There were protests from the Mansfield dugout that a goal should have been given but Clough and Co soon had other things on their mind as the Stags were reduced to 10 men.

Boateng, booked just 11 minutes earlier, launched into a challenge on Williams. Sat on his haunches, he knew what was coming next. Ricardo Santos then ensured he made a hasty retreat from the pitch – but not before Mansfield’s physio had signalled to keeper Pym, who then immediately and miraculously needed treatment.

Suddenly, it was Mansfield’s turn to look uncomfortable. Retreating to their penalty area, every ball Bolton put into the box was causing more and more panic.

One such ball was helped on by McAtee, dropping to Charles to turn in from close range. And after an anxious glance to the linesman to see if his flag was up, the stadium seemed to skip a beat before celebrating a goal.

Five minutes later, the mood had completely changed. Osei-Tutu had made a real difference since his arrival on the left, and it was his cross which found Adeboyejo to drive home from close range.

Having spent so long grinding their teeth, it was to a somewhat confused celebratory atmosphere that the game concluded. McAtee made the points safe with an excellent finish, picking the ball up after a mazy run from Lolos before driving it into the bottom corner.

As Williams nearly added a fourth deep into stoppage time, the home fans began giving every pass the ole treatment in the final few seconds, a welcome bout of cheerfulness you simply couldn’t have seen coming at half time.