NEIL Lennon proved that timing really is everything as his surprise appearance before kick-off at Atherton Colls washed away a week of worry for Wanderers fans.

Fingernails had been chewed to the quick by all concerned with the Whites just recently as the sacking of Nigel Pearson at Leicester City meant the manager’s future became the subject of national debate.

Would the Foxes come calling for their prodigal son? Would anyone blame him if he took the fast-track to the Premier League?

All these questions and many more had been swirling round the Macron Stadium in the last few days, yet in the absence of any official word from either club, it became a matter of faith that he would stick around to finish the job he started.

Lennon had been placed in a difficult situation by all the speculation but his grand entrance 10 minutes before the start of Saturday’s friendly did as much to calm the nerves of Bolton supporters as any statement could ever have done.

This was the Northern Irishman doing what he does best – taking an interest in his club, from top to bottom.

And boy, how the 1,500 fans lining a sun-kissed Alder House appreciated his presence in the dugout.

It would have been easy for the Wanderers boss to stay away from what was essentially a development squad fixture, and to concentrate on his senior side, which flew out to Austria yesterday evening.

Afforded some privacy and protection in the Austrian Alps, the question marks hanging over his head may have lingered a little longer. But the man who was signing autographs, posing for pictures and mixing happily with the Wanderers fans on a sun-kissed Saturday afternoon didn’t strike you as someone who had somewhere better to be.

He took his place alongside Iain Brunskill in the dugout before kick-off, flanked around the dugouts by others in the Whites’ coaching fraternity, Andy Hughes, Gavin McCann and Nicky Spooner, Jimmy Philips and another legendary figure lurking in the wings, Jussi Jaaskelainen – present to see his son Will, who played in the second half.

Wanderers started with a potent attack of Conor Wilkinson, whose move to Barnsley now appears to have broken down completely, and Kaiyne Woolery, who made a brief debut at Bournemouth at the end of last season.

They also gave a debut to Spanish midfielder Jon Ceberio – formerly of Real Sociedad – and another Scottish trialist in Sean Conaboy, who has worked north of the border in Gordon Strachan’s Football Academy.

Predictably Wanderers saw a lot of the ball early on but the North West Counties men, who had excelled last season under manager Michael Clegg, remained a tough nut to crack.

Indeed, Gareth Peet had the best chance of the first 20 minutes when he raced on to a through ball and brought a scrambling save from the legs of Bolton keeper Harry Campbell, who recently signed a pro deal with the club.

Steadily, Wanderers’ front two began to have more of an effect.

Pacy former Tamworth striker Woolery brought a smart save out of Danny Taberner in the home goal, the rebound poked home by Wilkinson but ruled out by the linesman.

Woolery then nipped in ahead of the Colls keeper on the edge of the box just before half time, only to push the ball too far and fail to get a shot away.

Lennon made another appearance on the pitch at half time, presenting a Manager of the Year award to Clegg for leading his side to the First Division title last season.

That brought about another round of appreciative chants from the Wanderers fans, in fact it was all too much for one little spectator, Billy Grundy, who may just have become football’s youngest streaker at half time with a dart on to the pitch from the stands.

Both sides made wholesale changes in the second half, which meant most of the tempo ebbed from the game.

Wanderers may have gained an advantage, however, when Tyler Palmer’s header was pushed on to the crossbar by Tabener.

At the other end, Matt Bolan went close to opening the scoring for the home side, who were now starting to see more of the ball against a Wanderers side made up primarily of the Under-18s.

Nine minutes from time, however, the deadlock was finally breached. Harry Reilly went down in the box leaving last season’s top scorer at under-18s level, Jamie Thomas, to tuck away a neat penalty to his right.

Thomas was off the pitch when a second penalty was awarded a few moments later, leaving Enock Likoy-Elumba to try and covert the spot kick he’d won. Unfortunately, the young Whites striker was off target, and Wanderers would quickly live to regret it.

Colls pushed one last time and got their just reward as Wes Bancroft produced a fine finish from the edge of the box under Jaaskelainen to send the Alder House regulars into raptures.

While the scoreline said otherwise, the big winners on the day were Colls – whose hospitality and pluckiness might just have won them a few more fans.