STANDARDS are high at Wanderers these days, to the point where even a 4-0 win can leave you slightly unsatisfied.

After fans had filed out happy from the UniBol on Saturday evening the two men in the dugout for once shared similar views of events that had just unfolded.

Wimbledon boss Mark Robinson admitted his side was lucky not to receive a heavier beating, and Ian Evatt was left questioning whether his players had been ruthless enough in what was one of the most one-sided games to be played at the UniBol in living memory.

Four goals could easily have been six, or more, and the attacking cohesion shown by the men in white at times breath-taking, yet this team has it in them to do more. And if they are to make an improbable dash for the play-offs over the next 13 games then every member of the dressing room will still need to find an extra gear before May.

These are exciting times where centre-halves surge forward to swing in crosses and an Icelander can trigger choreographed celebrations from 14,000 people, all at once.

Having killed Wimbledon off via Jon Dadi Bodvarsson’s crowd-rousing header and Dapo Afolayan’s fancy footbwork either side of half time, Wanderers had the opportunity to fill their boots.

Dion Charles furthered his excellent goalscoring start in a Bolton shirt with a typical piece of opportunism and Amadou Bakayoko kept his own tally ticking over with a brilliant glancing header – but the gulf in class was so clear, a four-goal margin felt a little underwhelming.

A few too many party tricks crept in towards the end, and the attacking patterns which had torn the visitors to shreds became a little loose as the game wore on.

But given the feast we were served, perhaps it is a little finicky to pick over the bits that went wrong. After breaking the deadlock, Wanderers played some of their best football of the season – foreshadowing the kind of battering dished out to Bolton’s own Amir Khan later in the night.

To think, the day had started with fans wondering if they would see any football at all?

Saturday morning Snow seemed to have caught folk by surprise, snarling up the roads around the stadium and making some of the pathways up at Middlebrook tough to tread.

Thankfully, the flurries stopped a good couple of hours before kick-off and with a huge clearing effort from staff inside and outside the ground, the game went ahead without incident.

Undersoil heating worked so well that Bolton even put the sprinklers on for 10 minutes, much to the amusement of the 14,000-plus who turned out.

Wanderers had made four changes to the side beaten at Burton, including a new midfield pairing of Kyle Dempsey and Aaron Morley. That meant MJ Williams – who had started every one of the last 10 games – was dropped to the bench.

Wimbledon’s complete lack of quality in the central areas gave the energetic Dempsey and the artful Morley freedom to roam. Against better opposition, the insurance policy offered by the more defence-minded Williams would be more important, but on this occasion even wider centre-backs George Johnston and Gethin Jones had free licence to link-up with the wing-backs at will.

Marlon Fossey and Declan John did a lot of the early damage on the flanks, Bolton quickly looking more urgent and sure-footed than they had on Tuesday night at Burton.

Wimbledon looked like a team that had not won since early December. Lacking key men like Anthony Hartigan and Ayoub Assal, their meagre attacking threats were handled comfortably by an imperious Ricardo Santos.

Rebecca Welch became the first female referee to take charge of a Bolton game, and had instantly ingratiated herself to folk at the UniBol by offering to help clear the pitch on her arrival on Saturday morning.

The goodwill had whittled down by the end of the afternoon, it must be said, with three big penalty appeals turned down, the first of which was for a trip by George Marsh on Bodvarsson.

Wanderers did put themselves ahead before half time, Bodvarsson powering home a header from Morley’s corner and showing the recent hard work on set pieces is starting to pay dividends.

There was still time for another penalty shout as Paul Osew appeared to handle the ball just inside the penalty box, Bolton’s protests waved away by the Tyne and Wear official.

Wimbledon’s only chance of getting back into the game was via a mistake, and James Trafford’s momentary lapse in concentration nearly presented a chance to Ethan Chislett.

Normal service was quickly resumed, however, and after Santos shaved the bar with a header Wanderers doubled their lead through Afolayan.

Restored to the side in the number 10 role, Afolayan became only the second player in 20 years to score more than a dozen goals, marking the milestone with a classy dance around keeper Nik Tzanev after an intricate exchange of passes with Charles near the penalty spot.

Such craft makes Bolton a team worth watching these days and just moments after Wimbledon brought on another defender to try and stem the flow, a poor touch at the back was pounced upon by a gleeful Charles, who slotted home his sixth in 10 games.

With 23 minutes still to play, the Whites looked like they could rattle a few more yet.

Charles had a penalty shout turned down, sub Bakayoko fired over from close range, Morley fired a good effort just wide. Many more chances broke down with a final ball, or were over-complicated.

Bakayoko did get a fourth, glancing a fine cross from Fossey past Tzanev three minutes before the end, by which time Trafford might as well have grabbed his phone and attempted the latest Wordle.

There was time for another Thunderclap as the players walked around the snow-banked perimeters of the pitch to show their appreciation. The visit of Lincoln – whose game at Fleetwood was decimated by the weather – will surely provide a stiffer test.