Defeat was a bitter pill to swallow for Wanderers as they bowed out of the Vertu Trophy at Wrexham.

Andy Cannon’s sweet second-half strike sent Phil Parkinson’s team into a home semi-final with Peterborough United, ensuring that the only Wembley trip Bolton need to worry about now will be in the play-offs.

It was a narrow scoreline and a harsh one too, as Steven Schumacher’s side created plenty to have kept themselves in the competition.

John McAtee shaved the post in stoppage time as Bolton tried to force the match into penalties but they did enough over 90 minutes to feel that when the two sides meet again at the start of March, a better outcome can be found.

Wanderers made seven changes from the side that beat Crawley at the weekend with Nathan Baxter, George Thomason, Victor Adeboyejo, Klaidi Lolos, Jay Matete, George Johnston and Gethin Jones coming back into the side. Josh Sheehan, Josh Dacres-Cogley, Will Forrester and Eoin Toal were the only players to keep their place in the starting XI.

The last time these two sides met goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo pulled off a string of saves to keep Bolton at bay and give Phil Parkinson a point on his return to the Toughsheet.

He picked up in exactly the same vein, denying Josh Sheehan with a full-stretch save on the stroke of half time and also charging out to block Josh Dacres-Cogley’s effort after he had surged into the penalty box from his position at left wing-back.

Wanderers controlled possession against a Wrexham side that had not played at the weekend and made only two changes from their last League One outing. Only in brief flashes did we see the sort of high-energy football that had got them into the automatic spots in League One.

But if the home side were suffering from some ring-rustiness, Bolton didn’t really miss a beat despite a much-changed line-up.

Referee Ross Joyce has had some rather controversial moments against Wanderers in the past. Neither Ian Evatt nor Ricardo Santos were present to renew their stormy relationship, but Josh Sheehan might be wondering what he had done to earn an early yellow card for a supposed trip on Elliott Lee.

Victor Adeboyejo partnered Klaidi Lolos up front, and got an early chance when Sheehan and Eoin Toal conspired to send in a low cross to the near post.

George Johnston’s dipping cross forced Okonkwo to tip the ball over his own crossbar and a few moments later the centre-half won another Sheehan corner to send a ball across the face of the six yard box with nobody able to get the telling touch.

Toal did the same thing a few minutes before the end of the half, drawing a gasp from the 1,250 travelling fans packed into the corner.

Wrexham did spark briefly into life midway through the half, Ryan Longman’s cross causing a few flutters and Toal making one important challenge on Jack Marriott after he picked up a loose ball at the far post.

Ref Joyce waved away a couple of half shouts for a penalty and another, clearer, call for a foul on Adeboyejo on the very edge of the box, Bolton jogging back down the tunnel at half time feeling a little perturbed that they had not edged themselves ahead.

Another big chance passed by immediately after the restart as Jones got to the byline to pull a ball back for Lolos but he was denied a clean shot on goal by a sliding challenge from Lewis Brunt.

A bit of frustration started to creep into the home fans, particularly after striker Mo Faal was reeled in over 30 yards by Toal, making a fine recovery challenge on the edge of his own penalty box.

After Schumacher had changed formation to 3-4-2-1 and brought on John McAtee and Aaron Colins, Parkinson responded with a quadruple substitution of his own, including January signings Sam Smith and Jay Rodriguez making their home debuts.

Seven minutes later Wrexham finally broke a deadlock which had lasted for more than two-and-a-half hours over the two meetings. Not much had gone right for Andy Cannon on the night but as Bolton backed off him with 20 minutes left on the clock, he lived up to his name with a fearsome shot which bounced off the inside of the post and into the net.

Schumacher responded again with a substitution, bringing on Jordi Osei-Tutu and changing to a front three.

A breakthrough remained frustratingly elusive, however, and even when Bolton were begging for a moment of good fortune – such as a foul on Collins by Scarr on the edge of the box – they were left empty handed by referee Joyce.

Wrexham sought to see the game out professionally and the difference in the depth of the two benches was emphasised when Bolton threw on ex-Leeds United trainee Ben Andreucci for his debut with five minutes left.

Even then there was room for more heartbreak for Wanderers. A neat bit of football on the edge of the box from Dacres-Cogley and Collins ended with McAtee squeezing a shot past the keeper and off the base of the post.