ZACH Clough scored a sensational winner for Wanderers to break their losing streak and hit the top of the club’s scoring charts.

The 19-year-old grabbed his sixth goal of the campaign to settle a tight affair – and ease any worries that the club could be sucked into a relegation battle.

Neil Lennon had lost three consecutive games for the first time in his managerial career and mustn’t have known which way the game would go before Clough opened it up with a moment of magic on 64 minutes.

After the academy graduate put his side ahead, it was simply a case of holding on. And having defended solidly all afternoon, Bolton maintained their first Championship clean sheet since mid-December with room to spare.

Lennon stuck with a back four but dropped Dean Moxey and Dorian Dervite to the bench for the fit-again Tim Ream and returning skipper Matt Mills.

He made adjustments in his attack too, with Zach Clough and Adam Le Fondre returning for Saidy Janko and Eidur Gudjohnsen.

Ben Amos made his home debut and the on-loan Manchester United keeper was forced into action just six minutes in as Bruno stormed down the right to cross for the unmarked Sam Baldock, whose side-footed volley was pushed over the crossbar impressively.

That was all we got in the first half as both sides laboured on the ball.

Wanderers hardly created an attack of note, the nearest chance worthy of the name dropping to Tim Ream after a decent run but bring drilled straight at Albion keeper David Stockdale.

The crowd were briefly awoken from their slumber on the stroke of half time when Emile Heskey was booked for a clumsy looking challenge on Lewis Dunk – rather unfortunately in the eyes of the Wanderers fans.

But both sides made a more positive start to the second half, Heskey nudging a cross from Ream just over the bar and Beram Kayal seeing a shot from distance pushed aside by Amos.

Brighton looked to hit on the break and nearly caught Wanderers out from a corner on the hour mark, Craig Mackail-Smith’s cross from the right finding Baldock – whose shot was saved again by Amos.

Albion suddenly started to look like they had found their stride. Baldock was again denied by Amos from close range, with Matt Mills also making an excellent block from Mackail-Smith on the follow up.

Then, out of nowhere, Clough produced a moment of skill that blew the whole game wide open.

Josh Vela ventured forward on the edge of the box and fizzed a pass into the young striker, who spun past his marker in one movement and caressed a shot into the bottom corner with his second touch.

In a game of such dreariness, it was a piece of skill that stood out a mile.

But as Wanderers fans celebrated, some bad news also loomed. Liam Feeney had gone down injured a few minutes earlier but was unable to run off the problem. He was replaced by Kevin McNaughton – who had only days earlier been described as “not training to the level we want him to and what he is required to” by his manager.

Regardless, Wanderers now had something to hold on to.

They may have got a bit of luck on 71 minutes as a Joao Teixeira shot bounced off the hand of David Wheater close in on goal.

But the closing stages were seen out relatively comfortably – Clough even lashing one chance to score a second over the bar from 10 yards out.