PERFORMANCE is secondary when you are chasing promotion – and though Wanderers will win no marks for style in a scrappy victory against Cheltenham Town, three points on the board are all that matters.

Victor Adeboyejo’s first-half strike proved enough to beat the plucky Robins, a team completely transformed from the meek outfit that was outclassed at Whaddon Road back in August.

Just like Orient at the weekend they set about the Whites, peppering the penalty box with set pieces on a wild and windy night. But unlike their last outing, Bolton did enough this time and had just enough quality to see the game through.

The Whites were not without a bit of luck. George Lloyd’s goal was wrongly ruled out for offside just after half time and several other Cheltenham efforts went close.

But having failed to take their big chances on Saturday, they did just enough at the Toughsheet to move back on to Peterborough United’s shoulder ahead of their trip to Carlisle United.

Wanderers made two changes from the side beaten at Orient, bringing Paris Maghoma back in midfield for Kyle Dempsey and restoring Randell Williams at wing-back, with Zac Ashworth dropping to the bench.

Both sides tried to start fast – Cheltenham no doubt hoping they would catch the Whites with a hangover from the capital. For the first five minutes, at least, the Whites looked sharp, Dion Charles having a bouncing effort pushed away by Luke Southwood after giving his marker Lewis Freestone the slip. Moments later a great touch from Adeboyejo set him in on goal again, only for a heavy touch to spoil his progress.

So far, so good. But a couple of sloppy moments in possession later and the home crowd were groaning in displeasure. Cheltenham could have gone ahead when Rob Street got in behind Ricardo Santos, bringing a save out of Nathan Baxter.

Tom Pett sent a volley just wide from the edge of the box and Street went even closer, his angled effort whistling past the post after being played in by a clever ball from Liam Sercombe.

There was no denying the mood of concern within the stadium until, out of the blue, Tom Bradbury dwelled just long enough in possession to allow Adeboyejo to nip in, compose himself, and slot his eighth goal of the season under Southwood.

Wanderers had already got a flavour of the sort of physical high-energy football they would be up against and judging by the mood of sounds from the home crowd and Evatt’s continual frustrated march around his technical area, there was a sense that the Whites were not getting a fair rub of the green.

Josh Dacres-Cogley was one of Bolton’s livelier customers in the first half and after drilling one dangerous ball across the face of goal, he then found Charles via Thomason with another. Cheltenham got just enough bodies in the way to stop a shot but there was also a loud appeal for a penalty, waved away by the official.

Cheltenham refused to lie down and very nearly drew level on the stroke of half time. Sercombe’s free kick dropped for Lloyd but Baxter managed to get a knee in the way to block his shot.

Wanderers were hardly at their best, but they were ahead, something they had not managed at Orient. Count your blessings, and all that.

Fans tried hard to keep the spirits up at the start of the second half, not an easy task in what had become a pretty scrappy game.

Lloyd got the ball in the net after Cheltenham swung an umpteenth set piece into the penalty box, forcing the ball over the line after Baxter had made an impressive initial save. The goal was seemingly scrubbed out for offside, this despite the linesman failing to raise his flag.

Replays showed the Robins striker was desperately unlucky, and the visitors’ protests more than understandable.

Darrell Clarke picked up a yellow card for his remonstrations a few moments later as Bolton won a free kick on the edge of the box. And as the game started to come to the boil, it became a test of discipline as much as anything else for the Whites.

The hustle from Charles and Adeboyejo up front was admirable, but elsewhere Wanderers were suffering. Maghoma struggled, even Thomason was being caught on the ball – one instance giving veteran Curtis Davies a chance to shoot from 20 yards out which beat Baxter but ended up in the side netting.

Bolton desperately needed the security of a second goal, and nearly found it just after the hour when Williams’ impressive show of speed on the left got him into the penalty box, the ball eventually being worked to opposite wing-back Dacres-Cogley, whose shot was deflected wide.

The bombardment continued from the visitors, be it long throws, corners or free kicks, with Wanderers looking swarmed at times by the men in red.

Evatt threw on Jon Dadi Bodvarsson, Kyle Dempsey and eventually Cameron Jerome to combat the aerial threats. Though they were just about holding out, there was no denying the nerves.

One long punt from Southwood dropped awkwardly in the wind for skipper Santos, his header dropping just wide of the goal to the audible relief of the crowd – given by the match announcer somewhat optimistically as more than 19,000.

Cheltenham will feel they deserved a share of the spoils, and quite how the ball stayed out of the net in the fifth minute of stoppage time is anyone’s guess. Eoin Toal got himself in the way of close-range efforts from Lloyd and Nathan Butler-Oyedeji as an equalising goal looked certain. Then, one clearance later, Kyle Dempsey weaved his way through only to pull up before he could get a shot away.

It was nervy, it was tense, and it was not great to watch. But unlike the weekend, three points made it all the more bearable.