ANOTHER fruitless away day, the nagging feeling that Wanderers could have got more from the game? Did I mention it was also Groundhog Day?

All those feelings were flooding through the mind as Neil Lennon’s side went into the final 13 minutes at Molineux trailing 2-0 and looking a beaten team.

As the only side in the Football League still waiting for a first away win, you wouldn’t have given them a chance – but then something magical happened, and you just wonder what effect that could have on their season?

After Wellington Silva had nudged the first with nine minutes left, Stephen Dobbie curled a superb free kick to grab a priceless point, which narrows the gap to safety to four points.

As one fan pointed out before the game, Wanderers had to be setting some sort of record to name a team in February with just eight goals between them. And sadly, that looked like being the case for Neil Lennon’s side as they dominated possession but just couldn’t make a breakthrough.

Shorn of injured captain Darren Pratley and striker Gary Madine, Kaiyne Woolery was given a full debut in a forward line that lacked physicality and, more importantly, goals.

Jay Spearing had seen one shot pushed aside by Carl Ikeme in what had been a bright start but in their first attack, Wolves suddenly found themselves clean in on goal as a long pass deflected off Spearing.

Dorian Dervite was caught flat-footed as Bjorn Sigudarson sprung the offside trap and though his shot was blocked well by Amos, Mason was there to open his account for Wolves in dream fashion.

The 24-year-old, picked up for an eye-watering £3.5million from Cardiff City, had scored 10 goals for the Whites in three separate loan spells under previous boss Dougie Freedman, including a hat-trick against Rotherham.

He failed to ever find his niche as a Bolton player, however, but did his chances of becoming a favourite in this neck of the woods no harm at all with a simple finish from the edge of the box.

Amos had to race off his line less than a minute later as his defence got in a tangle again. But the lack of quality on offer for the rest of the first half ensured any further drama was at a real premium.

Liam Feeney fizzed one effort narrowly over the crossbar and Rob Holding made a well-timed challenge to deny James Henry inside the penalty box but otherwise it was dire.

Woolery had struggled to get himself into the game against a physical centre-half pairing of Danny Batth and Ethan Ebanks-Landell.

The youngster, who came to Bolton via nearby Tamworth, was on a hiding to nothing as a lone striker but any hope that his pace could cause Wolves problems was negated by his team-mates’ cumbersome build up play.

Feeney made a few bright runs and Davies – as ever – looked game against his old club. But otherwise it was all very vanilla.

The chief reason to be optimistic for Wanderers was that the game had not been put beyond them. And they started the second half in positive fashion as both Spearing and Trotter had goal-bound shots blocked and Josh Vela made keeper Ikeme work with a dipping volley.

Wolves’ own fans were getting restless and more and more possession was wasted on a bumpy pitch, and that gave Wanderers some invitation to push on.

They did just that but with nothing to aim at through the middle of the park all their possession in the wide areas was pointless.

Lennon reached for Emile Heskey, who hadn’t featured for the Whites since the 4-0 drubbing at Rotherham on Boxing Day because of a calf strain.

And the big striker immediately created some space for Silva to exploit, the Brazilian cutting in past Matt Doherty before drilling a shot just over the bar.

Lennon and Garry Parker were up on the edge of the touchline urging Wanderers to up the pace and show some urgency.

By this point Bolton had seen 60 per cent of the possession but they simply were not doing enough with it.

Wolves gave them a harsh lesson in cut and thrust as less than 60 seconds after Henry had climbed off the bench, he was scooting away in celebration after curling a delightful shot past Amos.

That should have been the game completely safe but within a minute Wellington had almost apologetically headed Josh Vela’s cross over the line to set up a tense final few minutes.

Lennon threw on Dobbie for Trotter. Little was expected. But when Heskey won a free kick 25 yards out – much to the chagrin of the home fans – the Scot stepped up to curl a shot that clipped off the top of the wall and past the stranded Ikeme.

Back from the dead. The same may be said of Bolton’s season if they can show the same fight against Rotherham on Saturday.

 

WANDERERS (4-1-4-1)

BEN AMOS…6

JOSH VELA…7

DORIAN DERVITE…6

ROB HOLDING…7

DEAN MOXEY…6

LIAM TROTTER…6

LIAM FEENEY…7

MARK DAVIES…6

JAY SPEARING…8

WELLINGTON SILVA…6

KAIYNE WOOLERY…5

Subs: Heskey 6, 66 (for Woolery), Dobbie 82 (for Trotter) Not used: Rachubka, Osede, Twardzik, Wilson, Walker

 

Wolves (4-2-3-1): Ikeme; Iorfa, Batth, Ebanks-Landell, Doherty; McDonald, Coady, van La Parra, Mason, Rowe; Sigurdarson.

Subs: Henry 75 (for Sigurdson), Saville 81 (for Rowe), Price 85 (for Mason)

Not used: McCarey, Deslandes, Byrne, Le Fondre.

 

Attendance: 17, 825

Referee: Fred Graham