WANDERERS picked the perfect time to rewind the clocks on an afternoon of magical moments at the Macron.

Precious little about this dreadful season has stood up to repeat viewing, at least until the arrival of Neil Lennon.

But this perfectly scripted, thrill-a-minute victory in the manager’s first home game in charge supplied us with a hat-trick of highlights that will live long in the memory.

Take Neil Danns’ sublime long-distance opener, Mark Davies’s Gazza-esque finish for the second and Craig Davies’s 96th minute icing-on-the-cake moment – no wonder fans were beaming with pride as they stepped back out into the streets on Saturday evening.

Before a ball had even been kicked there was something different about the build-up to this particular fixture.

A few years ago we might have sniffed at the importance of a visit from Brentford, but with Lennon at the helm for the first time on home turf a sense of occasion was restored.

Hundreds packed the Premier Suite before the game to hear the Northern Irishman’s thoughts, while the pre-match music had a distinctly Celtic air to it.

Limping in from 50 miles away, Burnden Park favourite Tony Kelly concluded his charity walk through the town to show the link to the good old days might have been ignored for a while but it has not been lost completely.

It all built up to the grand reveal and as Motown classic Nowhere to Run played, Lennon walked out to a rapturous applause.

He had spoken about “uniting the club” and this was a pretty good start.

Of course a result was essential. And for a while you feared this could be another day on which Wanderers paid dearly for not taking their chances.

The fact Brentford played so openly meant you were never far away from the next goal-scoring opportunity but despite moving to a front two of Joe Mason and Jermaine Beckford, Lennon found his front men were frustratingly wasteful.

Mark Warbuton’s Bees also had their chances but found Andy Lonergan in the form of his Whites career – proof the new manager has not only had a positive effect on the outfield players.

Once Danns set his side on their way with a classy strike on the hour mark, the entertainment levels went up another yet another bar.

Mark Davies had been on the pitch two minutes when he scored a glorious second, controlling Harlee Dean’s clearance on his chest, scooting round Tony Craig and then passing the ball past keeper David Button in one fluid movement.

It was the kind of effortless skill that could have fit in easily with El Clasico later that evening and been replayed on a constant loop for days.

You sensed it just might in the Lennon household.

“I’m going to go home and watch it a million times,” joked the Wanderers boss.

“Mark looks like the type of player that will get bums off seats and that’s so important at a club like Bolton. It’s like the Geordie clubs – the ones who have a proper footballing tradition. The people appreciate this.

“We’ve seen a little bit of him now so it’s up to him to stay fit and be more consistent. It wasn’t just his goal, his general play was excellent.”

It wasn’t just Davies who was turning back the hands of time to the Premier League days. Chung-Yong Lee glided around the pitch like the 21-year-old that took the top flight by storm when he arrived as a complete unknown from FC Seoul five years back.

That horrible injury a distant memory, the Korean did not shirk a single challenge, his every tackle cheered with gusto on the terraces.

For so long consigned to the wing and looking an isolated player, Chung-Yong is now demanding the spotlight and showing he should be playing at a higher level.

Likewise Jay Spearing, another player reborn since Lennon walked through the doors.

The weight of the captain’s role has looked a burden at times but he is now revelling in new-found freedom and becoming a driving force once more.

There were nervy moments, not least after an error by Spearing ended up with sub Jon Toral making it 2-1 with seven minutes left, signalling a late charge from the Londoners.

That was when Matt Mills and Dorian Dervite – rocks at the back – defended superbly.

An injury to Brentford full-back Alan McCormack ensured seven minutes of added time and as 5pm ticked by, Bees keeper David Button ventured up-field for a corner to ramp up the tension.

But Lonergan plucked a header out of the air and sent Craig Davies scampering away to score.

In celebrating the goal, the Wales international removed his shirt and earned Wanderers their sixth booking of the day – which almost certainly means a fine from the FA.

Wanderers fans couldn’t care less. Around 1,500 more had turned up on the day compared with the previous game against Brentford – another significant step in the right direction.

There are clearly areas Lennon needs to address. Not every opponent will try to attack with such abandon, and there will be times when his strikers need to be sharper.

Yet with so many positives this was not a time to analyse flaws. This is an occasion to embrace the fresh start.