SOMEWHERE, a set of eyes watched a reborn Wanderers destroy Huddersfield’s lengthy unbeaten record and took notes.

On the surface, this was a heartwarming tale of a Burnden ball-boy who had punched the air to celebrate Frank Worthington’s virtuoso goal against Ipswich and 46 years later had done the same from the dugout when Aaron Collins found the back of the net, coincidentally just down the road from where his boyhood hero had spent his final days.

Julian Darby – Wanderer man and boy – deserves his part of the spotlight. Unassuming, unflappable, he was exactly the sort of calming presence needed to recentre a team of players who have been caught up in the undertow of negativity during Ian Evatt’s final weeks, threatening to sink without a trace.

His message to the players was simple and uncomplicated, he wanted them to enjoy playing for Bolton again. Stripped of the pressures and, to an extent, the expectations that became too great a weight for the previous boss to bear, they looked a different prospect.

The gameplan too was paired back. No risks were taken in possession, defenders were asked to defend. A group which had been buckling under the weight of information suddenly switched on to the basics again and kept strong opposition at bay.

And that is where notice must be taken. When Evatt’s four-and-a-half-year reign ended on Wednesday, there was a temptation to think that his replacement had to be cut from the same tactical cloth. The rush was on to find another Disciple of Pep with a penchant for 3-5-2.

Perhaps this performance goes to show there is another way?

It has long been discussed on the terraces that Bolton would need to find a more pragmatic side to escape League One. And in Evatt’s defence, there have been rare occasions this season where that message seemed to have hit home.

In the main, however, the brand of football he felt would future proof the team if they made it into the higher reaches of the league had become an issue, on the pitch, on the terraces, which was threatening its present.

And this is something that the next manager must bear in mind. Indeed, it is something that Wanderers may also want to consider before embarking on a cookie cutter appointment. And it goes deeper than tactics, recruitment, names or faces. It is something woven into the town of Bolton itself, and something recognised by Darby as one of its own.

There is a working-class heart beating inside this club and hard graft will always be recognised first. That is not to say there is not room for style and showmanship – but there will always be a Whatmore to a Worthington, a Reeves to a Philliskirk, a McGinlay to a Walker or Blake.

Darby knows that, and if the new man can tap into those same reserves alongside harnessing the footballing talent this squad clearly has, then we may be in business.

Michael Duff bizarrely described Bolton’s victory as “smash and grab” – but his team, unbeaten in the league since October, did not put a shot on target until the 78th minute.

Huddersfield had possession and territory, and Bolton have been there before, but their efforts to get new striker signings Joe Taylor and Dion Charles into the game were fruitless. Former goal hero Charles, barracked by the 2,500 travelling fans for most of the match, failed to touch the ball once in the penalty box. That he didn’t was down to Bolton’s compact defending, led by the excellent Will Forrester, but backed up with gusto by Gethin Jones, George Johnston and both wing-backs, Szabi Schon and Josh Dacres-Cogley.

Victor Adeboyejo was back in the side, working hard to track down Huddersfield’s honest-but-limited back three. And he had the chance of the first half, wriggling past two defenders to pull a shot narrowly wide of the post.

Aaron Collins put Bolton ahead 10 minutes after half time, George Thomason winning possession and Dacres-Cogley pushing the ball through to the Welshman who, taking an eternity to pull the trigger, eventually did so with dead-eye accuracy.

If that was the smash, then the grab might have been one of three big chances which fell Joel Randall’s way when he came on to the pitch as a substitute.

After nudging a header from Jordi Osei-Tutu’s cross inches wide he was then denied by keeper Jacob Chapman and then another excellent block from Matty Pearson.

All the while, Huddersfield toiled, the home crowd complained, Bolton’s support sang joyfully about the end of the painful slow possession football which summed up the worst elements of the Evatt era. Harsh, perhaps, but football terraces are not known for their sympathetic side.

After five minutes of added time, the final whistle triggered an eruption of relief, not in terms of 90 minutes – for the Terriers could have played for another hour and still not found an equaliser – but the reaction came from something much deeper. Bolton fans recognised their team again.

The same players who had been used to retreating to a safe distance at full time to show their appreciation were now sprinting towards the eye of the storm, dancing in the noise. Reconnection complete.

Those bonds are slender, for now, and there will be a different expectancy on the team when they meet Northampton Town at the Toughsheet on Tuesday night, knowing they will most likely be in Huddersfield’s shoes and asked to make most of the running.

But as the players soaked up the good vibes, Darby had dashed to the main stand to bring a young Wanderer on to the pitch for his first appearance. Young Bobby, not yet at his second birthday, won’t remember much of the mayhem, but he will hear the stories. Oh, how he will hear the stories.

Bolton’s fans saluted one of their own and Darby responded with a courteous and humble bow. He saw the best and the worst that this club’s fanbase can offer during his playing days with the Whites and he is certainly canny enough to enjoy the good times when they come along.

Who is up to the job of giving us more?