WELCOME to the red zone, beware all who enter.

In the build-up to Saturday’s game against Wycombe, Keith Hill voiced his concern about a growing trend in which his side concede goals late in the first or second half.

Termed by the manager as “red zones” the five minutes before the interval are likely to be when a player is at their most physically and mentally fatigued, and so lapses in concentration are especially prevalent.

Sure enough, as the half-time interval ticked closer at the UniBol a loose header from Brandon Fleming underlined the manager’s unease. The full-back found himself out of position and with Bolton’s defensive shape skewed, Paul Smyth and Jason McCarthy took full advantage in an attacking phase which ended with Josh Emmanuel clearing clumsily against his own man, Toto Nsiala, for an own goal.

Incredibly, it was the sixth goal that Wanderers had shipped in the final five minutes of the first half in their last 15 games.

The run started on December 7 when AFC Wimbledon’s Marcus Forss scored the opening goal at the UniBol in a 2-2 draw. Once again, Wanderers had left themselves wide open to the counter, the culprit in this case midfielder Sonny Graham.

Burton’s Lucas Akins was next up, turning in Scott Fraser’s bouncing cross amid some decidedly statuesque home defenders in the 4-3 defeat on New Year’s Day.

Rochdale’s Luke Mattheson capitalised on more dithersome work at Spotland 10 days later. Racing past Ronan Darcy to pick up the bouncing ball on the edge of the box, the youngster darted between two Bolton defenders before driving a shot past Remi Matthews.

Portsmouth were next to profit. Questions were asked at the time of Matthews’ parry from Sean Raggett’s header but also of the fact Christian Burgess was first to react ahead of two Bolton defenders to sweep the ball into the net.

Then last week we saw another head-scratcher five minutes from the interval at Doncaster as Reece James was allowed to gallop unchecked through midfield, playing in Fejiri Okenabirhie to score the opening goal.

Asked after the Wycombe defeat what is causing the run of goals conceded before half time, Hill was in no doubt: “Concentration,” he said. “We call them the red zones. We need more commitment to make sure we’re aware of the timing of the clock.

“But again, we need stress-free decision making, no anxiety. I think because it happened in the previous two games there might have been an anxiety.

“I think the turnover in the centre of the field shouldn’t happen. There are too many right in front of our back four and as a consequence we concede what look like silly defensive individual errors but, for me, the errors are occurring on the turnovers.”

The Bolton News:

Reviewing the whole League One season, Wanderers have conceded most of their goals (18 – or nearly 24 per cent) in the 61 to 75-minute slot but much of that is owed to the particular trend that developed during the first month of the season, when the club was forced to field younger players.

The ‘Junior Whites’ tended to concede more goals the later the game went on with opponents scoring just six times in the first half, as opposed to 18 in the second period of the game. Reasons for that could vary and the sample size is relatively small at just seven games – although fitness and experience will undoubtedly have played a part.

There are no obvious trends over the full course of Hill’s 28 league and cup games in charge so far. But the recent spike of goals conceded before half time is clearly a red flag.

The team hadn’t actually conceded a goal in the first five minutes of a game this season until Amadou Bakayoko scored for Coventry at St Andrew’s earlier this month.

Another trend that could be worthy of examination is the fact that Wanderers have struggled to score goals in the middle portion of each half.

Bolton have just one goal in the 16th to 30th minute, and three more in the 61st to 75th. In all four cases, they have gone on to win the game, and in three – Bristol Rovers away, Tranmere and Fleetwood at home, they were the first goal of the game.

But what can we draw from that? Well, in short, it seems striking the first blow is more important to a Wanderers side exhibiting signs of mental fragility than most other teams.

Before the 3-2 victory against Southend United in December, Bolton had waited an incredible 33 months – or 1,008 days – to concede first in a league game but still go on to win it.

They had done so in two cup games, against lower league opposition in Walsall and Crewe, but the Championship proved a cruel mistress and the lack of attacking intent or tactical fluidity in Phil Parkinson’s team often made it difficult for them to recover a deficit.

Under Hill’s watch, the Southend victory is the only example of claiming three points after conceding first but the team has also battled back to secure a point against Bristol Rovers and AFC Wimbledon.

A fast start with high pressing was one of the early hallmarks of the newly-assembled Bolton team post-September. And on the six occasions they have scored inside the first 15 minutes this season, they have won three, and lost three. Their record over the 22 other games reads three wins, eight draws and 11 defeats.

The lack of goals in the middle part of each half – typically when a game hung in the balance – may be an indicator that Wanderers begin to retreat and that anxiety comes into play, a factor Hill mentioned after Saturday’s game.

“It is in any sport, you want to be on top for as long as you possibly can,” he said.

“I thought we started the game brightly but one small change seemed to affect the confidence of the players – no matter how many times I tried to work it out from the touchline it’s difficult to impose what needs to be done.

“It was obvious to me that they needed to stop the ball going through to our two strikers and when they did that it sort of confused our players. When someone stops you going through, you go round, but we didn’t get that right.

“I am working with good players but the intelligent energy there has to be reflected in performances.

“The manner in which we conceded the goal was difficult to digest. We had opportunities to clear it, there was a great save from Remi, and we end up conceding an own goal.

“It’s heart-breaking from my perspective because we are having to deliver a pick-the-players-up half time talk, trying to encourage the players to be braver and chase the game. If we do chase the game, which we tried unconvincingly at times against Wycombe, then the manner they play can destroy you.

“They ended up getting their ninth penalty of the season. They do keep the ball in the high areas of the pitch – and there’s no insult here, with the direct style they have got, they have player to compliment it very successfully.”