WANDERERS could go on to clinch promotion without managing to one-up Wigan Athletic this season, that much is true.

And there is probably a set of convoluted circumstances in which Ian Evatt’s side could avoid beating any of the top six yet still accrue enough points to reach their Championship goal. But while we are talking statistics, let us take into account probability.

Can Bolton realistically keep tanking their toughest tests in this manner and realistically expect to challenge at the top? The next few weeks may provide a better indication. But at this moment Bolton are exactly what the league table says they are, an eighth-placed side with a chance of breaking into the top six, and that is a step backwards from last season.

The “pile-on” as the manager described it post-match was inevitable, and Evatt is quite within his rights to feel that some have gone overboard with their reaction. To dismiss concerns as irrational, however, is a mistake.

Many fans made their feelings known on Saturday. In some cases it was crude and personal, which is harder to tolerate, but for the most part the people who had provided the loud backing requested early in the game were merely expressing what we were all thinking. We had simply seen this happen too many times.

Worse still, you could sense very early on that Wanderers were shaky, uncertain. Wigan had either caught them by surprise, tactically, or else the sights and sounds of a full stadium compared to the echoing cavern in which they beaten Huddersfield in midweek was just too much for them.

Normally reliable types – George Johnston, George Thomason, Szabi Schon, even Nathan Baxter, seemed caught off-guard.

Just as they had last season at the Toughsheet, The Latics had gone on the front foot and forced the Whites to divert from their regular gameplan. The back three were not offered much time, so playing out from the back and drawing the game out into a war of possession was not an option. At this point the Whites could have taken the visitors on, played through midfield with a degree of accuracy and bravery, or instead gone more direct, hitting the channels and allowing Dion Charles to chase his way into the match.

Neither of those things happened.

Dale Taylor scores the opening goal for Wigan Athletic (Image: CameraSport - Alex Dodd)

Bolton did go long, but haphazardly so. Bolton did try and play through midfield but lacked precision and composure. It was a difficult watch, even before Dale Taylor opened the scoring on 18 minutes.

The visitors knew which buttons to push. Crosses rained into the Wanderers box and slowly eroded the good atmosphere which had greeted the players on the pitch. By the time Theo Aasgaard rolled Jay Matete and Taylor cut a shot into the bottom corner, the hope had all but disappeared.

The boos that rang around the stadium at half time said everything about how the next 25 minutes went for Wanderers. They didn’t concede again, which was the only positive Evatt could have taken back into the dressing room, but that was mainly down to Wigan’s lack of ruthlessness in front of goal.

Wanderers did improve in the second half and for 10 minutes there was the feintest whiff of a comeback on the cards. Szabi Schon missed a big chance from close range to get his side level. Parity would have flattered them, but it would have at least tested the Latics’ mentality after some poor recent results.

Once Aasgaard made it two, disappointment turned to anger. Wigan’s supporters mocked mercilessly and visible sections of the Bolton faithful joining in. It was a depressing sight and it won’t have escaped Sharon Brittan’s attention in the directors’ box.

Wanderers huffed and puffed after that. We will never know what would have happened had they taken one of a few half-chances created but it did feel like the visitors had an extra gear if they needed it. They cantered into the final stages with no real threat to the lead and look a team well capable of moving much higher in the table.

The final whistle sounded, signalling another show of anger from those who stayed.

Evatt defended himself after the final whistle, pushing both the club’s recent form – 26 points in 13 games – and his own win percentage of just over 50 per cent in four and half seasons playing in League One and League Two. But equally he had no answer as to why his team has so frequently struggled against Wigan, and games of this ilk, during that time.

Bolton’s board have operated with calm business heads throughout their time at the helm and local bragging rights won’t come into the equation when they are discussing if a change in manager could bring something more out of this group of players.

The support they have shown Evatt has been constant, and it is a rarity in football, of that there is no doubt.

But the word ‘toxic’ has now slipped into the lexicon at Wanderers and we are entering into the murky territory occupied by past managers like Dougie Freedman, Gary Megson and Phil Neal. It seldom ends well.

You wouldn’t put it past Evatt or Wanderers providing a riposte at leaders Wycombe on Friday night. This argument gets more complicated with each passing week, crowded with ifs, buts and maybes.

Ultimately it boils down to two questions: Does this club want to play in the Championship next season? And, if so, do they stand a better chance with Ian Evatt in charge?