WANDERERS thumped five second-half goals past Walsall to book their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

After a difficult week which included a six-goal humbling at Hull City, Phil Parkinson’s side looked to be struggling when Andy Cook gave the Saddlers a 1-0 half-time lead.

But once Clayton Donaldson scored his first goal for the club after 58 minutes, a landslide ensued. Josh Magennis became the first Bolton player for four-and-a-half years to score a hat-trick and Jon Guthrie put through his own goal as Wanderers made their superiority count.

Walsall briefly threatened to get back into it when a shot bounced off Mark Beevers and past Ben Alnwick to make it 3-2. The Midlanders certainly contributed to an exciting game but Craig Noone’s incisive wing play helped ensure the Whites get past the third-round stage for the first time in Parkinson’s reign.

Parkinson’s selection hand was weakened as Christian Doidge and Remi Matthews were declared unavailable because of a registration wrangle and and the likes of Sammy Ameobi, Andy Taylor and Gary O'Neil were absent through injury.

Goalkeeper Matthews returned to his club, Norwich, and is expected to sign for a new side imminently.

Former England international Matt Jarvis was handed his debut by the Saddlers and it was the Norwich loanee who claimed the assist for Cook to give Walsall a deserved lead after 19 minutes.

Walsall had already been the better side prior to going in front. From the game’s first corner skipper George Dobson curled the ball onto the top of Ben Alnwick’s crossbar with the keeper beaten.

The visitors went ahead as Jarvis - given too much space by Pawel Olkowski - centred from the Bolton right and Cook rose above his marker to head his 12th of the season past Ben Alnwick.

Yanic Wildschut dragged a right foot effort wide while Luke Murphy, restored to the side for the first time since last August, headed directly at Liam Roberts.

Parkinson’s response to Wanderers’ dreadful opening 45 minutes showing was to take off Wildschut and Josh Vela for Will Buckley and Donaldson and go 4-4-2 in the second half.

Parkinson admitted his interval change at Hull on New Year’s Day contributed to his team’s eventual 6-0 whitewash.

And though it took a little time to wear down the League One side, Bolton eventually managed to cheer up the paltry attendance of 5,506 - which was the club's lowest post-war gate for a third round tie - and boosted by nearly 1500 travelling supporters.

Buckley had a goal disallowed for handball after 54 minutes but Donaldson, who missed a sitter at Hull, was on target three minutes later for the first time since his move from Sheffield United last summer.

Craig Noone was the catalyst, embarking on a twisting run on the byline before Donaldson fired home from seven yards for his first strike in nearly a year.

Northern Ireland international Magennis then tapped in his first after 60 minutes after Liam Roberts saved an initial attempt.

When Donaldson failed to connect with Noone’s left wing cross the ball ricocheted off Guthrie’s boot into the net after 63 minutes.

Plucky Walsall refused to give up and added a lucky goal of their own. Dobson’s shot from the edge of the area took two deflections before the ball bobbled into Alnwick’s net off Mark Beevers.

However, any hope of a fightback from Dean Keates's side disappeared when Magennis finished off another fine cross from Noone with 10 minutes to go.

Bolton's Buckley and Walsall's Cook hit the woodwork in the closing stages but the last laugh went to Magennis - becoming the first Bolton player since 2014 to claim a matchball when he tapped in a rebound off the post for his third.