That Wanderers are level at the half-time stage feels a big positive after a game where play-off nerves appeared to affect them more than we had all expected.

Ian Evatt’s side will have to play better to win in 90 minutes at Oakwell to claim their place in the final but there is something hugely satisfying in the fact they can be below par, and still very much in the contest.

At times, the 23,000-plus crowd pulled their team through, a phenomenal backing that harked back to the Premier League days and a Reebok roar. Support this season has been outstanding – but not for many years has it been this loud, nor this important.

Barnsley are organised and effective, and credit must to go Michael Duff and his players for getting the edge in what was a tactical and cagey contest. The Tykes were a menace from set pieces, albeit their long throws lost some traction when Bolton’s mischievous mascot Lofty the Lion ‘misplaced’ some of their touchline towels.

Duff’s side will have thought they deserved the opening goal, scored just after the hour by Nicky Cadden, and driven into the bottom corner through a cluster of defenders. Few could have argued on balance of play if they had retained the lead, in fact.

But after a quiet game, Dion Charles was once again in the right place at the right time, bundling in a handling error from Harry Isted with a part of his body which rarely comes into contact with a football voluntarily.

Bolton did indeed show they possess a big pair of the proverbials, becoming only the fourth team to claw back a point from Barnsley after falling behind this season. Only Liverpool and Preston North End have a better record than the South Yorkshiremen after scoring the first goal of the game.

James Trafford showed once again that he is a goalkeeper heading for great things. His handling immaculate throughout, he also came up with big saves in either half to deny Bobby Thomas and Luca Connell, making the extraordinary look part of his afternoon routine. He and Conor Bradley – equally magnificent this season – took a well-deserved lap of the pitch after the game and drank in the appreciation from a set of fans that will sorely miss them next season. Both, you feel, will need to be at their level best if they are to extend the season by another game on Friday night.

There was no sign of nerves in the opening 15 minutes, where Wanderers had set a fast early pace, but their build-up play became predictable after that, and the central midfield trio of Josh Sheehan, Aaron Morley and Kyle Dempsey struggled to get themselves on the ball.

Bradley was quickly targeted with some nasty challenges and Bolton old boy Connell started to pull strings in the middle of midfield, a reminder of what a talent he has become.

Wanderers looked to play more directly, trying to get Elias Kachunga or Dion Charles in behind Barnsley’s back three but with limited success. If anything, it played into their opponents’ hands, and enabled them to persist with a never-ending systematic pursuit of set pieces that put constant pressure on the Bolton box.

Though their team was stuttering in possession, the Whites fans stayed impressively positive. It is a great shame that only 2,000-or-so will be in attendance for the second leg but every man, woman and child still has a job to do that night too.

When Cadden’s shot found its way into the net, celebrations from the Barnsley contingent high in the South Stand could hardly be heard. Home fans switched back in an instant to urge their team on – which was quite a thing to hear. Four minutes later, they had their reward.

Randell Williams had mixed fortunes on the ball for the opening hour but in the latter stages of the game he became a really useful outlet as Bolton’s possession football suddenly upped a gear. After one such patient passing move he manufactured a one-on-one with Jordan Williams, beat his man and drove a cross that was too hot for Isted to handle, Charles doing the rest from close range.

Sub Dan Nlundulu had a big chance to make it 2-1 soon after, denied by a well-timed challenge from Barnsley’s skipper Mads Andersen eight yards from goal. Had that hit the back of the net, the lead would have felt somewhat undeserved.

Wanderers seemed to have restored their earlier verve and in the last 10 minutes the game seemed there for them to claim. Wily Barnsley managed to close things out, slowing the game down and causing frustration, ending on a succession of corners and free kicks which left the Whites clinging on a little.

Despite their success this season, the Tykes have the worst record in English football after conceding the first goal – an ignominious distinction shared with Forest Green and Birmingham City this season. The blueprint for success at Oakwell at the end of the week seems clear.

Wanderers’ season has boiled down to 90 minutes. Win, and a Wembley date – surely with Peterborough – awaits, lose, and most folk will congratulate Evatt and his team on a positive season but ask what needs to be done to push them to the next level.

Sheffield Wednesday’s capitulation on Friday night caused a few jitters, potentially making this a more guarded affair than it would have been. The second leg should have no such baggage.

Succeed – and you’ll hear the Reebok Roar from over the Pennines.