Bolton Wanderers fell to their first defeat in five games on Tuesday night to Cheltenham Town.
It was nothing short of what Ian Evatt's side deserved as they put in a terrible performance, lacking their usual swagger and elegance in possession, as they were instead pressed into oblivion by the spirited home side.
The Whites didn't manage to muster a single shot on target all game which paints the picture of how lacklustre their performance really was. Only heroics from James Trafford kept the scores level until the 87th minute when the Robbins finally got their goal.
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With no one offering him an option, Kieran Sadlier was caught in possession to spark the attack. Dan Nlundulu then shrugged off MJ Williams before clipping a lovely ball over the top for Ryan Broom to sweep home the only goal of the game.
Here are four downs and a single up from the match:
Downs
Lee and Bradley missed
It was worrying when the teamsheets were released and there was no Kieran Lee or Conor Bradley involved at all and that concern was well founded. Bolton missed both players considerably and were a far cry from the side that played so well, dominated, knocked the ball around beautifully, in the win over Lincoln.
No Bradley meant a reshuffle in defence with Gethin Jones going out to right wing-back and Will Aimson taking his place in the back three. A disaster. Jones does not have the pace to play further up the field and his quality distribution was missed from deeper in the field. Aimson, meanwhile, had a terrible night and could hardly kick a ball straight. He passed it straight out of touch at one point in the first half, summing up Bolton's lethargy, and then needlessly prevented a thrown-in which created a great chance for the opposition.
Lee likely would have been kept just as quiet as the rest of Bolton's forwards and his replacement, Kyle Dempsey, but Wanderers were certainly lacking his guile and ingenuity in possession, with their usual intricate play deserting them. Hopefully neither are out for long or things could look rather bleak at a crucial point of the season.
Winning streak over
A victory in Gloucestershire would have seen the Whites win five successive matches and made a real statement of intent for their promotion hopes. A win would have seen Bolton move level on points with Sheffield Wednesday on goal difference ahead of a crucial match with fellow play-off hopefuls Barnsley in less than two weeks' time.
Evatt now needs to make sure his team bounce back for another lengthy away trip down South against Forest Green on Saturday.
Can't deal with the press
Cheltenham had a game plan and Bolton could not deal with it in the slightest. They pressed the Whites hard, especially hurrying and harrying the back-three and they just completely crumbled under the pressure. Only George Johnston kept his composure but he couldn't stem the tide alone, with Ricardo Santos knocked off his usual composed game and Aimson probably should have taken the advice from his surname.
It impacted the whole team with the midfield then pushed further back and Bolton was hardly ever able to play through it and launch attacks, completely starving the attacking trifecta of the ball. If Bolton are so easily rattled by an intense press then they really need to work on combating them.
Games like that will prove costly
Evatt said before the match: "It’s the away form that will define our season, I really think that." If that's the case then that certainly doesn't bode well for their chances of finally returning to the Championship. It looked as though the Trotters had finally found the consistency that eluded them but Tuesday's defeat is a harsh reality check.
Trips to Forest Green, Accrington Stanley and Cambridge are on the horizon before the pause in play due to the World Cup. If Bolton don't take a considerable points tally from those three matches, then it may well condemn them to another year in League One.
Ups
James Trafford
George Johnston put in a resolute display as well but the only up really worth discussing from the match is the performance of James Trafford. If it wasn't for him between the sticks Bolton would have conceded far earlier than the 87th minute and lost by a far greater margin.
It's hard to believe that he is still just a teenager when he puts on a goalkeeping display of such immense maturity and composure. He commands his box like a veteran, always coming out to collect crosses, marshalling his defence, always on the front foot to collect the ball and having the distribution that certainly bodes well for his chances of a career at Manchester City.
A great display which was sadly spoiled by the later winner, of which he could do nothing about. A special mention must go to his stunning save from Lewis Freestone that, while not quite as low, certainly was reminiscent of Gordon Bank's iconic stop.
