Wanderers were held to a 1-1 draw against relegation threatened Cambridge at the UniBol after Sam Smith’s late equaliser.

The Whites went ahead through Declan John, who fired home after George Johnston’s header was saved by Dimitar Mitov.

But Smith rescued a point for the visitors at the death, guiding a header past James Trafford after getting on the end of Jack Lankester’s free kick.

John on target

John deserved a goal for his performance, constantly looking to get in behind and causing the Cambridge backline problem with his crossing.

He took his goal well, getting in the right place and keeping his cool to hit the target after Mitov had initially made a fine stop.

It was a great moment for the Welshman, whose last goal came in the 4-2 win against Fleetwood almost a year ago.

John has played an important role since coming back into the side, particularly with Jack Iredale sidelined by a long-term injury.

Changing personnel

Ian Evatt found himself in a tough position. On the one hand, the Bolton boss won’t have wanted to change a winning team.

However, the past couple of matches have had a big impact on the squad - both physically and mentally.

Unfortunately, new strike partnership Victor Adeboyejo and Cameron Jerome didn’t really click against a stubborn Cambridge defence.

Shola Shoretire also struggled to impact the game in the number 10 role, although the Manchester United loanee had a goal chalked off for an offside on the stroke of half time.

Thomason shines

George Thomason made his first start since suffering a knee injury against Bristol Rovers in early December.

The energetic midfielder covered plenty of ground in the middle of the pitch, making some important tackles.

He also played a clever one-two with John in the box that nearly resulted in a goal during the second half.

Thomason will be keen to make his mark during the final weeks of the campaign, having had to watch from the sidelines over the past few months.

Johnston steps up

Johnston delivered another impressive performance despite playing in an unfamiliar role in the middle of the back three.

The 24-year-old made some important blocks and also won his fair share of headers as the Whites came agonisingly close to a 20th clean sheet of the season.

Playing 180 minutes in four days was a big ask after a spell out of action, but Johnston has certainly risen to the occasion in Ricardo Santos’ absence.

He was one of Wanderers’ most consistent performers during the first half of the season and seems to have picked up where he left off.