WANDERERS were handed a home humbling by Carlisle United for the first time since 1977 thanks to Jordan Gibson’s hat-trick.

Ian Evatt’s side had won their previous three in league and cup but looked bereft of attacking ideas at times as the Cumbrians strode to a deserved first away victory at League One level since 2014.

An own goal by Jon Mellish had given the Whites an early advantage and Nathan Baxter denied Joe Garner from the spot to preserve the lead.

But once Gibson had converted a second penalty awarded by referee Sebastian Stocksbridge, Carlisle never looked back, the midfielder building on his late equaliser against Peterborough United in midweek with a deflected second, and a breakaway goal in added time to take home the match ball.

Though Evatt may point to possession in the Carlisle half, to plenty of touches in the opposition penalty box, this had been an occasion where his side looked toothless, ending in a result which is sure to provoke debate throughout the international break.

Wanderers brought Vic Adeboyejo back into the side that had beaten Stevenage, renewing a partnership with Dion Charles that had produced 13 goals in all competitions to date.

Considering the slug-fest that the last game-and-a-half had been, Bolton were surprisingly sprightly in the first 30 minutes, getting into some good positions in front of a packed out 4,407 travelling support.

Their only breakthrough, however, came when Will Forrester released Josh Dacres-Cogley down the right with a fine pass, and his low cross was turned into his own net by Jon Mellish.

Otherwise, it was a case of ‘fine build-up, shame about the finish’ as Williams, Thomason, Adeboyejo, Dempsey, Forrester and even the normally razor-sharp Charles all dithered in front of goal, leaving Tomas Holy relatively untested.

At first, Carlisle looked content to hold firm and see what they could get from set pieces. But they grew in confidence as the half wore on and after Baxter had made a fingertip save to deny Owen Moxon, he had to be on his toes again after Williams’s mistake had allowed Fin Back to arrow a low cross towards his near post.

From the corner Bolton half-cleared their lines but a stretching challenge from Dempsey on Sean Maguire right on the edge of the box was deemed penalty-worthy by referee Seb Stocksbridge, and the Cumbrians suddenly had a chance to level.

Baxter kept Joe Garner at bay with a smart stop with his feet but nine minutes later he was facing another spot kick from Jordan Gibson, this one hammered past him to his right.

Eoin Toal had been pulled up by the referee for handball as he attempted to clear another Carlisle corner, the ball dropping just in front of him and – in the referee’s eyes at least – hitting his forearm.

Neither penalty award felt particularly clear cut. Wanderers attempted to get back in front but their reluctance to shoot was starting to agitate the home fans, with the nervousness starting to echo around the pitch too.

By the second half, Bolton’s creativity had run out completely, however, and Carlisle’s pluck saw them through to a famous win.

Almost immediately after the break, Maguire was played in on goal by McCalmont and with three sides of the stadium appealing for offside, Baxter was again smart off his line to block his shot.

Bolton had to regain their composure. Forrester went close with a header from Josh Sheehan’s corner, blocked on the line by Holy, and a fumble from the Carlisle keeper was nearly punished by Charles at point-blank range.

Baxter produced another sparking save on the hour to push aside Maguire’s shot, and with Evatt throwing on Zac Ashworth and Aaron Morley from the bench, there were clear signs that the Whites were starting to run low on ideas.

Just as Evatt called Jon Dadi Bodvarsson back from his warm-up, Carlisle took the lead. Jordan Gibson let fly with a shot which took a deflection before finding its way into the net and sending the away end into raptures.

Bodvarsson and Dan Nlundulu eventually got on to the pitch a couple of minutes later, by which time it had turned into a real rescue job.

The Icelander combined soon after his arrival with Ashworth to burst through on the left side of the box but dragged a shot well wide. He had another half-chance moments later after a clever touch from Charles but couldn’t quite take the ball in his stride.

Top scorer Charles tested Holy with an 82nd minute header, moments after he had been booked by referee Stocksbridge for diving. And the sense of desperation around the stadium grew more pronounced with each passing minute.

Bolton won a corner midway through seven minutes of added time, Baxter adding to the mass of bodies in the Carlisle penalty box. And when the ball was cleared, Gibson was able to race it up-field with Eoin Toal and Josh Dacres-Cogley retreating, passing his third of the game into the empty net.