Bolton Wanderers' hopes of reaching the League One play-offs this season took a firm blow with the slender loss to fellow top six hopefuls Plymouth Argyle.
Wanderers went behind just before half-time after Macaulay Gillesphey headed home from Jordan Houghton's corner.
The hosts switched to a back four early in the second half and Wanderers looked much better for it.
READ MORE: Ian Evatt criticises decisions over Plymouth Argyle 'timewasting' in Bolton Wanderers loss
Dion Charles saw a header saved by Michael Cooper, while substitute Elias Kachunga was unable to convert a golden chance to equalise as Wanderers were unable to get back into the clash and slipped to a 1-0 loss at the University of Bolton Stadium.
The result has left Wanderers 10 points from the play-off places and means they are now firm outsiders for the top six this season.
Here, we analyse the positives and negatives from a Wanderers perspective after the loss at the University of Bolton Stadium and here's our talking points from the encounter.
Ups
Formation change encouraging string to Bolton bow
Wanderers have had tremendous success since mid-January after the switch to a back three and employing two strikers alongside one another.
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Trailing 1-0 at the hour mark, George Johston was removed for Kieran Sadlier and a switch to a 4-2-3-1 and it proved to work well.
Chances did start to be created with more regularity afterwards and Wanderers perhaps should have at least got a point from the encounter had they taken their chances.
Despite the loss, it is positive that there are now more strings to Wanderers' bow and that formation changes in game can be employed in a bid to achieve success, and it nearly came off against Argyle.
Santos imperious again
Ricardo Almeida Santos is being eyed by Championship clubs and on the basis of the last couple of performances, it's easy to see why.
Cole Stockton and Ryan Hardie are two of the most potent finishers in League One and, though the latter did find the scoresheet for Morecambe last Tuesday, he was bearly in the game thanks to Santos.
The same could be said of Hardie yesterday who, whenever he came up against Santos in a one v one duel, there was only ever one winner.
Wanderers are hoping to tie Santos down to a longer contract and his last couple of performances are perfect examples of why they hope to do so.
The player, his representatives and Ian Evatt are poised to sit down in the summer to discuss the matter properly and hopefully it ends with Santos penning fresh terms at Wanderers
Downs
Play-off hopes hanging by a thread
The gap to the top six stood at seven points for Wanderers prior to kick-off and the clash against Argyle was a huge chance to pick up three points against a direct rival for the play-offs.
Unfortunately, that did not come to pass and Bolton and now 10 points from the top six with eight games of their campaign left.
Though it is certainly still mathematically possible, Wanderers have to be near, if not completely, flawless between now and the end of April if they are to have any realisitc chance of reaching the play-offs, and hope teams around them drop sufficient points.
It's not impossible, of course, but Wanderers are definitely now firm outsiders for the top six as things stand.
But, as a newly promoted team, the fact Wanderers are being mentioned in the same sentance as the play-offs is testament to what has been done this season and how successful the January transfer window revamp has been.
Poor defending costs Wanderers dear
The key moment which cost Wanderers came as half-time approached in a evenly poised fixture.
Gillesphey headed home from Houghton's corner after peeling off Johnston and James Trafford was unable to keep the effort out.
Set pieces, conceding and scoring from, has often been an area requiring work under Evatt and, though the latter has improved in recent weeks, Wanderers will be ruing losing a game from a scenario that if dealt with could have been avoided.
Lack of clinical edge proves decisive
Though Wanderers did concede from a set piece, it would not be right to think they did not have opportunites to get something from the encounter, far from it.
Bolton's threat improved after half-time with the formation switch and Charles forced a good save from Cooper to keep his header out.
But Kachunga's effort not long after coming on proved to be the best chance of the encounter and it was an opportunity the former Sheffield Wednesday man simply had to take, but to no avail and it proved decisive.
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